Reticulitermes speratus, the Japanese termite, is a species of subterranean termite found in Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. It eats decayed wood.[1][2] It is adapted to withstand the cold temperatures of the temperate regions it inhabits.[3]
The mitochondrial genome of the subspecies Reticulitermes speratus kyushuensis has been determined.[4]
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.[5] New incipient colonies may also be founded by same-sex male pairs.[6] 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
.[6]
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.[7][8] All individuals have part of their eyes developed, but the size increases if the individual is on a reproductive tract.[9]
Individuals have been shown to cannibalize injured nestmates.[10]
R. speratus queens achieve a long lifespan without sacrificing fecundity. These queens have more than twice the catalase activity and seven times higher expression of the catalase gene RsCAT1 than workers, soldiers and nymphs.[11] Catalase catalyses the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species. Thus catalase protects against oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage.[11] The extended longevity of R. speratus queens is likely due, in part, to efficient antioxidant capability.
^Choi, Kwang-Soon; Kim, Hyun Kyung; Lee, Byung-Ho; Kim, Bong-Su; Yang, Jung-Ho; Koo, Hyun-Na; Kim, Gil-Hah (April 2014). "Fumigant toxicity of phosphine to the Japanese termite, Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)". Journal of Stored Products Research. 57: 24–29. doi:10.1016/j.jspr.2014.01.003.
^Matsuura, K.; Nishida, T. (2018). "Comparison of colony foundation success between sexual pairs and female asexual units in the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)". Population Ecology. 43 (2): 119–124. doi:10.1007/PL00012022.
^ abMizumoto, N.; Yashiro, T.; Matsuura, K. (2016). "Male same-sex pairing as an adaptive strategy for future reproduction in termites". Animal Behaviour. 119: 179–187. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.07.007.
