AJ Life Sci. 2022, 5 (1)

Morphometric analysis of soldier cast of Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) and Microtermes obesi (Holmgren) (Blattodea: Termitidae; Macrotermitinae) from three localities of Potohar region, Pakistan

Asma Ashraf1*, Naveeda Akhtar Qureshi2, Saima Qadeer1, Muhammad Farhan Nisar1, Abdur Rehman Azam3, and Sana Ullah1

1Department of Zoology, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore-54000, Pakistan

2 Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Biological Science, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad-45320, Pakistan.

3 University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.



Abstract

A great diversity of termite species is found all over the world, among these 53 species are identified from Pakistan. The knowledge about morphological features in soldier cast of termites is proved to be a technical tool for taxonomy and identification. In the present studies, the morphometric variations of external morphology in soldier caste of Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) and Microtermes obesi (Holmgren) from three different areas i.e. Gujar Khan (A), Rawalpindi (B) and Islamabad (C) were studied. About 36 characters like body, thorax, abdomen, from head to mandible tip, head, pronotum, postmentum, mandible, antenna (scape, pedicle, flagellum), and legs parts were used for morphometric measurements. The data were statistically analyzed for significant differences in their mean, standard deviation, standard error, 95% confidence interval, coefficient of variability and analysis of variance. "Student t-test" was used for the comparison of mean values using Minitab version 16. The results of the present study revealed no significant differences among the population samples collected from various localities. However little variations were observed in a few characters like antennal segments (pedicle, scape) and legs (trochanter, tibia) among the soldier cast which are adaptive in nature to survive in the environment.

Keywords: Morphometric analysis, soldiers cast, Odontotermes obesus, Microtermes obesi.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.34091/AJLS.5.1.15

Received

May 14, 2022

Received Revised

July 31, 2022

Accepted

August 19, 2022

Available Online

September 17, 2022


Corresponding author email:

asma.ashraf@ue.edu.pk

How to Cite

Abasyn Journal of Life Sciences , ISSN (online): 2663-1040, Published by Abasyn University