{"title":"An interesting case of polystyrene consumption by Reticulitermes lucifugus (Blattodea: Neoisoptera, Rhinotermitidae)","authors":"E. Rolli","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.463","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"A colony of Reticulitermes lucifugus from Apulia (SE Italian Peninsula) was recently observed to have partially consumed some polystyrene panels applied on a wall, and used like seat for termite nest. Further observations could allow to better understand if this colony is just able to physically consume and chew this plastic material, releasing it chemically intact after the passage throughout the termites’ digestive system, or if their microbiome could allow the insects to at least partially metabolize and degrade the ingested polystyrene fragments, as recently observed in a few other insects.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5000,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.463","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"ENTOMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
A colony of Reticulitermes lucifugus from Apulia (SE Italian Peninsula) was recently observed to have partially consumed some polystyrene panels applied on a wall, and used like seat for termite nest. Further observations could allow to better understand if this colony is just able to physically consume and chew this plastic material, releasing it chemically intact after the passage throughout the termites’ digestive system, or if their microbiome could allow the insects to at least partially metabolize and degrade the ingested polystyrene fragments, as recently observed in a few other insects.
期刊介绍：
Fragmenta entomologica is devoted to publishing high quality papers dealing with Arthropod biodiversity. It publishes research articles, short scientific notes, reviews articles, comments and editorials. The core scope of the journal includes Taxonomy, Systematics, Molecular phylogeny, Morphology, Paleontology, Biodiversity, Biogeography, Evolutionary biology, Conservation biology, Ecology, Ethology and Applied Entomology, and embraces all terrestrial, freshwater and brackish water Arthropods. Merely faunistic papers might be considered for publication only in the following cases: papers including relevant and significant new data emphasizing the conservation priority of rare, protected or endangered arthropods and their habitats; papers concerning with important newly introduced pest species; papers concerning with very poorly known geographic areas from scarcely investigated countries.
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