Name
Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | All members of their family (Ateluridae) are strict associates of social insects such as ants and termites. It is believed that they feed on moulds growing on the nest walls and help to keep the nest clean, while producing secretions that the host like to eat, so that the host insects not only tolerate them but actively protect them. |
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| Habitats | Terrestrial |
| Distribution | Assmuthia spinosissima was described from the nest of Termes obesus in India along with a second species of the same genus. If the Singapore population really is that species it represents the first record since its original description. However there is a possibility that it is a new species, though certainly to be placed in Assmuthia. |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Indiscriminate control operations. Although some termites are pests, a great many species are quite harmless or even beneficial. Some termites form shallow mounds under open tree cover and help in the decomposition of small wood fragments, dead roots and so forth. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | This is a mutualistic association between species of great scientific interest. |
| Conservation Notes | Only known in Singapore from a single sample of about 20 individuals all from one Termes nest in the grounds of the former Bukit Timah road campus of the University, now subject to much site modification and maintenance. |
Status
| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Data Deficient (DD) [2008] |
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Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp |
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