Animalia

Fungi

Plantae

International team of scientists makes taxonomic breakthrough by rewriting the ‘termite dictionary’

Lourdes MederosSeptember 11th, 2024The community of termite scientists have achieved a major milestone. An international team of 46 researchers has unveiled a new, comprehensive classification system for termites, shedding light on this often-misunderstood group of insects. All living species are classified through a process called taxonomy, which is the foundation of biology. Without it, science could not analyze […]

From rise to rule, a UF/IFAS team records the spread of Asian subterranean termites through Florida’s southernmost point

Lourdes MederosSeptember 18th, 2023A University of Florida study published in Biological Invasions provides a one-of-a-kind evolutionary map and timeline that reconstructs the historical spread of the Asian subterranean termite over 22 years on Key West. “Although many islands have been invaded by exotic termites worldwide, this was a unique situation, unprecedented from the onset, to follow the establishment of an […]

Crash Course in Taxonomy, or, What Those Odd Latin Terms for Bugs Mean

Tom NordlieFebruary 5th, 2016Perhaps you’ve noticed that our Bug Week writings often contain Latin terms for bugs. For example, if we mention the common bed bug we’ll probably reference its scientific name, Cimex lectularius. Or when we talk about grasshoppers we might note that they’re part of the insect order known as Orthoptera. Maybe you’ve wondered what all […]