The Rare Termite Workers And Soldiers That Are Not Blind
The Rare Termite Workers And Soldiers That Are Not Blind
The vast majority of termite species contain workers and soldiers that are completely blind. In fact, most non-royal termites have not even developed partial eyesight, as even the earliest stages of eye development are absent on most termite workers and soldiers. Generally speaking, it is more common to see partial eyesight develop among termite soldiers in some species, but almost never in workers. Despite this, eyesight in soldiers still remains rare. For non-royal termites, lacking eyesight is by no means treated as a handicap. Instead termites navigate the world by means of other senses, especially pheromones. Since many termites are subterranean, and dwell almost entirely in the darkness beneath the ground, developing eyesight never became a necessity. King and queen termites do possess eyesight since they were formally alates (flying termites) in search of a new location to start a colony. However, there are a few exceptions as the species of termite known as Hodotermes mossambicus possesses workers and soldiers that do possess eyesight.
It may seem hard to believe that most termites do not possess eyesight when so many of their predators do have the advantage of eyesight. This raises the question of how termites can survive against ant and other visually oriented insect predators. As strange as it may seem, termites workers and soldiers can use their senses to evade predators. For example a recent study found termites “tiptoeing” around their ant enemies in order to avoid death. Most termites use pheromones while foraging and discerning between species. When it comes to the Hodotermes mossambicus species, foraging is done at night with the light of the moon allowing them to navigate the land visually. The Hodotermes mossambicus species of termites do use pheromone signalling while foraging. However, studies have demonstrated that optical orientation is more precise than pheromone orientation in this species. This is true despite the fact that Hodotermes mossambicus termites have poor eyesight that cannot make out landmarks very well. The Hodotermes mossambicus termite species is unusual for having a set of compound eyes.
Does it surprise you that the Hodotermes mossambicus termite species possesses compound eyes despite spending a fair amount of time beneath the ground in the darkness?