title: Ability of field populations of Coptotermes spp., Reticulitermes flavipes, and Mastotermes darwiniensis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae; Mastotermitidae) to damage plastic cable sheathings.
abstract: A comparative field study was conducted to evaluate the ability of subterranean termites to damage a set of four different plastic materials (cable sheathings) exposed below- and above-ground. Eight pest species from six countries were included, viz., Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki) in China, Japan, and the United States; Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) in Thailand and Malaysia; Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) and Coptotermes kalshoveni (Kemner) in Malaysia; Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt) with two forms of the species complex and Mastotermes darwiniensis (Froggatt) in Australia; and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) in the United States. Termite species were separated into four tiers relative to decreasing ability to damage plastics. The first tier, most damaging, included C. acinaciformis, mound-building form, and M. darwiniensis, both from tropical Australia. The second tier included C. acinaciformis, tree-nesting form, from temperate Australia and C. kalshoveni from Southeast Asia. The third tier included C. curcignathus and C. gestroi from Southeast Asia and C. formosanus from China, Japan, and the United States, whereas the fourth tier included only R. flavipes, which caused no damage. A consequence of these results is that plastics considered resistant to termite damage in some locations will not be so in others because of differences in the termite fauna, for example, resistant plastics from the United States and Japan will require further testing in Southeast Asia and Australia. However, plastics considered resistant in Australia will be resistant in all other locations.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. michael.lenz@csiro.au
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kard
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Creffield
authors.forename: Theodore A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Freytag
authors.forename: Jun-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Chow-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Boon-Hoi
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Yeoh
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Kunio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
authors.forename: Charunee
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vongkaluang
authors.forename: Yupaporn
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sornnuwat
authors.forename: Ted A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Roland
authors.forename: Marie Pommier
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: de Santi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D001315:Australia; D003252:Construction Materials; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007300:Insect Control; D020049:Isoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry; D012987:Soil; D013045:Species Specificity; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D012987:Soil