Reticulitermes speratus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Reticulitermes speratus, the Japanese termite, is a species of subterranean termite found in Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. It eats decayed wood. It is adapted to withstand the cold temperatures of the temperate regions it inhabits.
The mitochondrial genome of the subspecies Reticulitermes speratus kyushuensis has been determined. New colonies are typically founded by a male-female pair, but alternatively sometimes by a same-sex female pair, in which case reproduction is parthenogenetic. New incipient colonies may also be founded by same-sex male pairs. These male pairs of termites cannot reproduce, but by cooperating they are able to survive long enough that one or both has the potential to later replace a male in another colony. This male can then reproduce by mating with the female there.
The queen is succeeded by asexual reproduction, in which an aged queen lays eggs with no openings for sperm to enter through, effectively making a clone of herself. All individuals have part of their eyes developed, but the size increases if the individual is on a reproductive tract.
Individuals have been shown to cannibalize injured nestmates. R. speratus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seoul | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Termite sighting in Seoul on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 319th most-seen of the 525 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.
March and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Termite in Seoul on a given day, against under 5% in April and June–February, the lowest months. Those are among Seoul's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 360 mm in July.
Only Seoul, in our data
Seoul is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Japanese Termite sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Japanese Termite is recorded against all the insects logged in Seoul (8 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.
