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Article Dans Une Revue Insectes Sociaux Année : 2023

A call to termitologists: it is time to abandon the use of “lower” and “higher” termites

T F Carrijo
M S Engel
T. Chouvenc
G H Gile
A. Mikaelyan
J L Ware
I. Haifig
A. Arab
J P Constantini
J P Souza
S. -B. Lee
A. Buček
Y. Roisin
E M Cancello
C M D Santos

Résumé

This commentary paper addresses the outdated and misleading terminology used to categorize termites into “higher” and “lower”. These terms perpetuate a linear progression view of evolution, which is both inaccurate and detrimental to our understanding of the diversity of life. We trace the historical origins of these terms and highlight their flawed interpretation of evolutionary relationships. We advocate for the adoption of Termitidae (or termitid), rather than “higher termites”. As for the paraphyletic group of “lower termites”, we recommend refraining from grouping them together, unless specifically referring to their symbionts. In such cases, we propose “protist-dependent termites” or “non-Termitidae termites”.
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Dates et versions

hal-04504676 , version 1 (14-03-2024)

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T F Carrijo, M S Engel, T. Chouvenc, G H Gile, A. Mikaelyan, et al.. A call to termitologists: it is time to abandon the use of “lower” and “higher” termites. Insectes Sociaux, 2023, 70 (3), pp.295 - 299. ⟨10.1007/s00040-023-00929-0⟩. ⟨hal-04504676⟩
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