Overview
This is the largest family in the order. It is divided into 4 subfamilies. Fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitinae), prominent in Africa and Asia, do not occur in Australia, nor do Apicotermitinae. Many Australian termitids eat wood or grass, but some are detritivores; others consume soil for the humic material it contains, or subsist on organic material in the fabric of other termites' nests. Subterranean nests are common, but many species build mounds, and a few construct arboreal nests.
Description
Alates with ocelli, and usually with a fontanelle (vestigial or absent in Microcerotermes). Antennae 13-18-segmented. Mandibular dentition various. Tarsi 4-segmented. Fore wing scale about as large as, or only slightly larger than, hind wing scale. M closer to Cu than to Rs. Soldiers either with rounded or rectangular heads bearing obvious mandibles with or without teeth, or with nasute-type head and vestigial mandibles. Antennae 10-20-segmented. Pronotum saddle-shaped. Workers with 12-19 antennal segments. Postclypeus generally inflated. Pronotum saddle-shaped.