Cuticular permeability of two species of Coptotermes Wasmann (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

Cuticular permeability (CP) values of worker and soldier castes of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes vastator Light were determined using gravimetric techniques. Comparisons were made between castes, species, and between colonies of C. formosanus and C. vastator. CP values did not differ among either species or colony, however they did differ between castes. Data reported here and that of established data in the literature for C. formosanus are inconsistent, with the current report having values as small as half that of previously published data. Examining mean CP data by colony indicated that there is a range for Coptotermes spp. termites, from 6.84+/-1.2 to 25.61+/-1.49 microg H(2)Ocm(-2)mmHg(-1)h(-1) dependent upon caste. A novel method of examining intercaste CP variability is the use of worker:soldier CP ratios. Ratios for C. formosanus were consistent between the current study and previous reports. Mean percentage total body water (%TBW) lost at the time of death was 33.75+/-1.15% (soldiers) and 54.24+/-1.43% (workers) for C. formosanus, and 37.69+/-3.31% (soldiers) and 52.87+/-3.65% (workers) for C. vastator. Consistently, %TBW (and fresh mass) was greater in worker than in soldier castes. These data suggest the use of water storage mechanisms in worker termites, as shown for other rhinotermitids.