Heterotermes aureus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Heterotermes aureus, commonly known as the desert subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Heterotermitidae. It is native to the deserts of North America where the colony has an underground nest. This is a small termite species. The winged reproductives which emerge from the nest are about 4 mm (0.16 in) long, including their wings. The forewings are larger than the hind wings and have two distinctive hardened veins at the front. The fontanelle (front gland pore) on the head is indistinct or missing, and the body is pale yellowish brown. The soldiers have rectangular heads with a distinct fontanelle and long slender mandibles, which are fairly straight but slightly inwardly-curving near the tip. This distinguishes this species from the western subterranean termite (Reticulitermes hesperus) which has thick, curved mandibles.
Heterotermes aureus is endemic to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The termites are found in arid habitats, particularly the Colorado and Sonoran Deserts. They also feed on structural timber in buildings, fences and utility poles. This is one of the commonest underground termites... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Subterranean Termite sighting in Phoenix on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 209th most-seen of the 264 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Subterranean Termite in Phoenix on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Phoenix's wettest months, with about 35 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Only Phoenix, in our data
Phoenix is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Desert Subterranean Termite sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Blattodea
The closest relatives of the Desert Subterranean Termite that you can see in Phoenix (order Blattodea, Cockroaches and Termites) are American Cockroach (about 10%), Surinam Cockroach (about 10%) and Turkestan Cockroach (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Desert Subterranean Termite is recorded against all the insects logged in Phoenix (6 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.
