Biological Invasions (2010) 12, 1389-1402

Laurianne Leniaud, Franck Dedeine, Apolline Pichon, Simon Dupont and Anne-Geneviève Bagnères (2010)
Geographical distribution, genetic diversity and social organization of a new European termite, Reticulitermes urbis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Biological Invasions 12 (5), 1389-1402
Abstract: Reticulitermes urbis is a recently described termite species that has probably been introduced into Western Europe where it has been found exclusively in urban areas. However, little is known about the geographic distribution and origin of R. urbis. This study was undertaken to determine whether this species was introduced from the Balkans. A parsimony network did not show any association between mtDNA haplotypes and geographic regions suggesting that western European populations were the result of human-mediated dispersion. Variation patterns of the COI and COII regions as well as microsatellites showed that the genetic diversity of Western European colonies was lower than for colonies collected in the Balkans, suggesting that the introduced populations suffered from a founder effect. As observed in the introduced populations of R. flavipes, all colonies of R. urbis had an extended-family structure with several reproductives. These results support the scenario that this termite was introduced into Western Europe.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Anne-Geneviève Bagnères

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Reticulitermes urbis