First records of urban invasive Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in continental Spain and Portugal

Abstract

Occurrence of the West Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis, is registered for the first time as established populations in Barcelona (Spain) and also additional information is given regarding a recent record from Lisbon (Portugal). This serious invasive termite pest was detected in five buildings in Barcelona, Spain and one building in Lisbon, Portugal.

Tropical wood resistance to the West Indian drywood termiteCryptotermes brevis: If termites can't chew…

“…This species is arguably the main termite pest species in the tropics, except in Asia, probably as a consequence of the mutually exclusive distribution of the competing Cryptotermes domesticus (Haviland) in the region . Although widespread, the distribution range of C. brevis is still expanding …”

Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in the Azores: Lessons After 2 yr of Monitoring in the Archipelago

“…Because of human-aided transport, C. brevis has a widespread distribution in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, the Azores being the northern boundary where this species is established, although the occurrence of C. brevis was also registered in cities such as Lisbon and Barcelona ( Nunes et al 2010 ). However, because of the more temperate climate of the Iberian Peninsula, this termite is not likely to flourish as it has in the Azores.…”

NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORD OF Cryptotermes brevis (ISOPTERA, KALOTERMITIDAE) IN ARGENTINA

“…The continuous domestic trade using this kind of crates could have facilitated the arrival of C. brevis colonies to Corrientes. Similar processes seemed to occur in other countries as most of the current distribution of C. brevis corresponds to human introductions by transportation of wood products (Scheffrahn et al, 2009;Nunes et al, 2010). The climatic conditions of Corrientes city (annual rainfall: 127.3 cm, mean annual temperature: 21 ºC with a range between 16-26 ºC and mean annual dew point: 15 ºC), with a TDP ratio of 2.27 (Weatherbase, 2011), can be considered as included among the optimum TDP values for the establishment and dispersal flight activities of C. brevis, according to Scheffrahn et al, 2009.…”

“…Recently was recorded from buildings in Spain and Portugal (Nunes et al, 2010). In December 2010, four colonies of C. brevis were found in the Argentine city of Corrientes, in a building located at the Campus Deodoro Roca of the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (27º28'1.99" S, 58º46'58.51" W, 65 masl) (Fig.…”

“…Although to date there is no evidence of the dispersion and establishment of C. brevis populations in Corrientes, the present record is an important contribution to the knowledge of its geographical distribution and expands the introduction of this termite pest species in the northeastern region of Argentina. Since C. brevis infestations may remain unnoticed for quite a long time and the colonies are small (Nunes et al, 2010), is necessary to continue monitoring the deposit and surrounding buildings. Additional attention should be given to possible future reports on the presence of the species in other city buildings or on the discovery of winged imagoes during the swarming season, in order to detect and minimize potential infestations.…”