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Simple Summary: We present a systematic review of the biology of the termite Constrictotermes cyphergaster and its relationships with guests in South America, addressing issues concerning the research knowledge that has been accumulated and the gaps that still need to be filled regarding this termite, as well as its relationships with other organisms and with the environment. Termites have global distributions and play important roles in most ecosystems, often with high nest densities and interesting associations with other organisms. Constrictotermes cyphergaster, is a termite endemic to South America, widely distributed and very conspicuous, and has therefore been considered a good model for filling in gaps in general termite ecology and their relationships with other organisms (e.g., termitophily). A systematic review (content and bibliometric analyses) was used to gather all published scientific knowledge related to C. cyphergaster as well as to observe trends, verify gaps, and direct new perspectives for future studies of this species. We identified 54 studies, of which more than 50% were published in the last five years (28 articles). The majority of the articles investigated the relationships between C. cyphergaster and macroorganisms (44.4%), followed by specific aspects of its biology (25.9%). The collaboration network revealed that links between researchers are still limited and modular, but trending topics have changed over time. Additionally, there are differences in the aims of the studies being carried out in the Caatinga and Cerrado domains, with some information focusing only on one of those environments. Our results show that some gaps in the biology and ecology of C. cyphergaster remain to be explored, although collaborative efforts between researchers open opportunities for suggesting future studies that would make relevant contributions to the general knowledge of termites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few restoration studies consider soil invertebrates such as termites although these are present throughout many ecosystems worldwide and provide a range of ecosystem services as soil engineers. The few studies that do consider the recovery of termites after human‐induced disturbance are geographically concentrated in Africa and South America and tropical seasonal savannah ecosystems. These studies suggest that termites can in some cases recover to pre‐disturbance levels after a few years, or take up to 30 years, although with altered community composition. While termites could potentially have negative impacts on restoration efforts by damaging vegetation, their recovery was shown to have benefits on ecosystems which warrants further research into their recovery across a wider range of continents and biomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Parabasalia are symbionts in the hindgut of "lower" (non-Termitidae) termites, where they widely vary in morphology and degree of morphological complexity. Large and complex cells in the class Cristamonadea evolved by replicating a fundamental unit, the karyomastigont, in various ways. We describe here four new species of Calonymphidae (Cristamonadea) from Rugitermes hosts, assigned to the genus Snyderella based on diagnostic features (including the karyomastigont pattern) and molecular phylogeny. We also report a new genus of Calonymphidae, Daimonympha, from Rugitermes laticollis. Daimonympha's morphology does not match that of any known Parabasalia, and its SSU rRNA gene sequence corroborates this distinction. Daimonympha does however share a puzzling feature with a few previously described, but distantly related, Cristamonadea: a rapid, smooth, and continuous rotation of the anterior end of the cell, including the many karyomastigont nuclei. The function of this rotatory movement, the cellular mechanisms enabling it, and the way the cell deals with the consequent cell membrane shear, are all unknown. "Rotating wheel" structures are famously rare in biology, with prokaryotic flagella being the main exception; these mysterious spinning cells found only among Parabasalia are another, far less understood, example., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society of Protistologists.)

A new genus and species of Termitidae (Isoptera) are described from the Entre-Córregos Formation (Oligocene, Aiuruoca Basin; southeastern Brazil): Aiuruocatatermes piovezanae n. gen. et n. sp., represents the first record of Termitidae from the Cenozoic of South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001, Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky), common name conehead termite, were discovered near a marina in Dania Beach, FL, where the invasive species was probably transported from its native range in Central and South America or the Caribbean. In January 2016, an infestation was found in Pompano Beach, Florida, approximately 21 km north of the Dania Beach population. This study compares variants in seven microsatellite loci across specimens from 11 nests in Dania Beach and 8 nests in Pompano Beach. Results are consistent with all N. corniger in both locations being descendants of a single introduced colony, spreading within Broward County, FL through human transport of infested materials. No more than four alleles were found at any of the seven microsatellite loci analyzed, inferring that a single Queen and King, or multiple sibling reproductives descended from a monogamous pair, headed the colony that arrived in Florida. The potential economic and environmental impacts of this invasive termite are enormous due to its broad diet, including agricultural crops and orchards, native and ornamental plants, natural landscapes, and structures. Conspicuous tunnels and aboveground nests are the key aspects of N. corniger biology that render colonies vulnerable to discovery and control. The now proven ability of N. corniger to establish breeding populations in the United States, to cause extensive property and landscape destruction, and to spread by human transport underscores the need for continued aggressive efforts toward eradication of known infestations as well as quick operational actions the next time invasive N. corniger are discovered., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A revised, geo-referenced, and cross-referenced list of 270 termite type localities in South America is presented. A total of 543 nominal species-group extant taxa are listed, 442 of them valid and 97 synonyms. The type-locality comprising the greatest number of nominal taxa in South America is Kartabo, Guyana (A.E. Emerson study site), with 59 taxa, followed by Cuiabá, Brazil (F. Sivestri), with 34, and Ribeirão Cascalheira, Brazil (Xavantina-Cachimbo Expedition, A.G.A. Mathews) with 26.

A new genus, Tonsuritermes Cancello Constantini gen. nov., is described from South America. The main morphological features of the new genus are a remarkable frontal gland and protibia with two rows of spine-like bristles. Two new species of Tonsuritermes are described: T. tucki Cancello Constantini sp. nov. and T. mathewsi Cancello Constantini sp. nov. Comparisons, measurements, a map, histology of the frontal gland, and illustration of all fundamental morphological aspects are provided.