Termites and Termite Mounds: Some Selected Observations

The paper sets out to explore “termites and termite mounds”. Eight aspects will be considered: (1) termites and termite mounds; (2) termites as major agents of the pedofauna in several tropical macro-ecosystems and their profoundly disrupting behaviour; (3) termite mounds as key features in the landscape, presenting an astonishing local typology; (4) termite mounds as a particular habitat, a well‑differentiated sub-eco­system, hosting some species belonging to several kingdoms whose distribution is restric­ted to this habitat; (5) the diversity of termitophagy; (6) the importance of termites in building towns and for other uses of termite mounds; (7) the diverse cultural perceptions of termites, i.e. their place in religion, myths, their medicinal use, and the methods used to catch them. Finally, and importantly, (8) termites and termite mounds as a source of wisdom, indicated by more than two hundred proverbs recorded in more than sixty dif­ferent languages.