Amitermes hastatus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Amitermes hastatus, commonly known as the black mound termite, is a species of termite found in the Western Cape region of South Africa. It is endemic to the region's fynbos ecosystem. They build distinctive black termite mounds that range in height from a few centimeters to 50 centimeters. The species is commonly found on sandy soil eroded from white Table Mountain sandstone at altitudes from just under 100 meters up to 900 meters above sea level.
The mound is constructed from white sand and organic matter and is distinctively black in colour due to the cement excreted by the termites. The exterior consists of irregular chambers that are interconnected with other cells through small circular openings. The interior of the mound has larger chambers with thinner walls. There is no royal cell in the mound; instead, breading termites move freely though the network of cells at the centre of the mound. The species is not a fungus grower and as such there are no fungus gardens in the mound. The mounds tend to be as high as they are wide and can reach up to 50 centimeters in height and width.
Workers expand the size of the mound from the mound's interior by making small holes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blackmound Termite sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 90th most-seen of the 311 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blackmound Termite in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in May–August and November–March, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blackmound Termite sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Cape Town, in our data
Cape Town is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Blackmound Termite sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Blattodea
The closest relatives of the Blackmound Termite that you can see in Cape Town (order Blattodea, Cockroaches and Termites) are Red-Headed Cockroach (about 10%), Southern Harvester Termite (about 10%) and American Cockroach (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blackmound Termite is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (43 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
