Diversity of Nest Types in Microcerotermes crassus (Termitinae, Termitidae, Isoptera) in a Dry Evergreen Forest of Thailand

In a dry evergreen forest of Sakaerat, Thailand, five types of nests (arboreal, epigeal, hypogeal, inquiline and nests within wood) which were built by the genus Microcerotermes were observed. Morphologically, all samples collected from five nest types belonged to the same species and were identified as Microcerotermes crassus. This indicates that a single species can build different nest types in the same locality. Furthermore, the density of nests and the relative abundance were investigated. At 99 nests per plot area (165 nests per hectare), the nest abundance and the relative abundance was very much higher than in other Southeast Asian forests.