Sex Ratios, Sexual Dimorphism, Body-Weight and Moisture Content in Two Desert Termites, Anacanthotermes Macrocephalus (Hodotermitidae) and Microteremes Mycophagus (Termitidae), from India

Abstract

Sex Ratios : Among 1284 swarming imagoes in Anacanthotermes

mocrocephalus (Desn.) males predominate in the ratio

of ♂9: ♀7.7 (range♂535-68%, ♀32-46.5%). Similarly, in Microtermes mycophagus (Desn.) among 689 imagoes, males

predominate in the ratio of ♂4.1 :♀3 (range ♂57.1-62.9%, ♀37.1-42.9%).

Sexual Dimorphism: In deal ate imagoes of A. macrocephalus

the sexes do not differ in respect of either the total length

(without wings) or the maximum head-width, but the

abdomen is slightly wider in females than in males. No

sexual difference is noticeable in the body-weight of dealates

(♂48.0-55.8 mg., ♀47.0-59.8 mg.). In M. mycophagus the

total length (with wings) and the head-width show no

appreciable sexual differences, but the total length of body

(without wings) and the maximum width of the abdomen

are significantly greater in females than in males. Females

are significantly heavier than males by about 4.8 mg. (mean

weight of males 23.23 mg., females 28.06 mg.). For dry

weight this difference is about 2.4 mg. (mean males 13.05

mg., females 15. 48 mg.). The mean moisture-content of

body is about 43.5% of wet weight in males and 44.8 % in

females, the sexual difference being only poorly significant.

In both species, no correlation was found between headwidth

and total body- length (without wings).