Termites of a South African savanna

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Abstract
The commonest epigeal termite mounds at Nylsvley Reserve, northern Transvaal, are constructed by Cubitermes pretorianus and shared by other termites and by ants. Two surveyed areas had the equivalents of 385 and 496 mounds ha-1 (328 and 432 ha-1 respectively with live Cubitermes). Counts of all termite species and stages in 13 mounds are given. Nests contained up to 15,000 Cubitermes workers (of which up to 0.7% were parasitised by nematodes). Egg-laying was seasonal, with a peak early in the wet season and few eggs in the nest in late autumn (and hence few larvae in winter). Soldier production showed two peaks per year, one at swarming and one in mid-dry season. Aganotermes workers sharing the mounds showed seasonal (over winter) abdominal storage of food reserves. Counts of populations and stored forage in two small Trinervitermes rhodesiensis mounds are also given.