EVALUATION OF MARKERS FOR AUSTRALIAN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES (ISOPTERA,RHINOTERMITIDAE AND TERMITIDAE)

A laboratory study tested 9 spray paints and 16 histological stains as potential markers on 3 termite species: Coptotermes frenchi and C. la cteus (Rhinotermitidae) and Nasutitermes exitiosus (Termitidae; Nasuti termitinae). There were marked differences in response to the stains b etween species. Only Nile blue was reliable enough to be used as a mar ker in mark-recapture studies, without reservation on the workers, but with some uncertainty on the soldiers of the 3 species. There were no other reliable, long-term markers identified in this study for either Coptotermes species, but Sudan yellow and Sudan green met most criter ia for a reliable marker for N. exitiosus. Sudan red, Sudan black and Sudan green might be useful as short-term markers in foraging movement studies for Coptotermes spp.