Biometrical Study on the Development of the Castes in Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)

The scheme of the normal caste differentiation in Reticulitermes speratus was determined by biometrical analyses and morphological observations. In this species, after the molt of the second stage larva, two developmental lines, the imaginal line and the neuter line, were differentiated. The imaginal line led through a total of six nymphal stages to the winged alate. After the separation to a neuter line, five worker stages were recognized. From the third or fourth stage workers, soldier differentiated through a presoldier stage.