Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Cryptotermes darwini
Drywood Termite
Arid and transition zones; February, May-June. In standing dead trees or in fallen branches. The soldiers have dark, wrinkled frontal cavities in their heads to hold a yellow liquid, a defense against ants. Hickin (1975: 152) indicates that this species may be a synonym of Cryptotermes brevis which causes much damage to wooden buildings in Florida, the West Indies, South America, Africa, and Hong Kong
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Isoptera
Family
Kalotermitidae
Genus
Cryptotermes
Species
darwini
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Endemic
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
- Bahder B.W. Scheffrahn R.H., Krecek J., Keil C., & Whitney-King S. (2009) Termites (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, Termitidae) of Ecuador. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. (n.s.) 45(4): 529-536.
- Peck, S.B. (1996) Diversity and distribution of the orthopteroid insects of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74: 1497-1510.
- Peck, S.B. (2001) Smaller Orders of Insects of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity. NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 278 pp.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Cryptotermes darwini", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=10413. Accessed 5 November 2026.