Apicotermitinae

{{Short description|Subfamily of termites}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Rustitermes boteroi (10.3897-zookeys.922.47347) Figure 2.jpg

| image_caption = Rustitermes boteroi

| taxon = Apicotermitinae

| authority = Grassé & Noirot, 1955

| type_genus = Apicotermes Holmgren, 1912

| subdivision_ranks = Genera

| subdivision = See below

}}

Apicotermitinae is a highly diverse group of predominantly soil-feeding termites within the family Termitidae.{{Cite web |title=Isoptera Species File - Apicotermitinae Grassé & Noirot, 1955 |url=https://isoptera.speciesfile.org/otus/762488/overview |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=isoptera.speciesfile.org}} They are represented by 64 genera and 236 species distributed within the Neotropical, Afrotropical and Indomalayan realms.Constantino, R. 2020. Termite Database. Brasília, University of Brasília. [updated April 2024; cited June 3rd 2025]. http://termitologia.net. Most species of this subfamily have lost the soldier caste, which occurred independently at least twice within two separate lineages, the most notable of which being the Neotropical Anoplotermes-group.{{Cite journal |last=Romero Arias |first=Johanna |last2=Boom |first2=Arthur |last3=Wang |first3=Menglin |last4=Clitheroe |first4=Crystal |last5=Šobotník |first5=Jan |last6=Stiblik |first6=Petr |last7=Bourguignon |first7=Thomas |last8=Roisin |first8=Yves |date=2021-06-08 |title=Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of Apicotermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae) |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12486 |journal=Systematic Entomology |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=741–756 |doi=10.1111/syen.12486 |issn=0307-6970|hdl=2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/326843 |hdl-access=free }} The majority of species live within diffuse subterranean nests, although some, such as Ruptitermes arboreus, build arboreal nests and feed on a wider variety of substrates such as leaf litter.{{Cite journal |last=Alves-Oliveira |first=João Rafael |last2=Rodrigues |first2=Valéria Barbosa |last3=Acioli |first3=Agno Nonato Serrão |last4=Azevedo |first4=Renato Almeida de |last5=Franklin |first5=Elizabeth |last6=Morais |first6=José Wellington de |date=2022-11-25 |title=Morphological and nest notes of Ruptitermes arboreus (Emerson), an Amazonian soldierless termite |url=https://doi.org/10.12741/ebrasilis.v15.e1006 |journal=EntomoBrasilis |volume=15 |pages=e1006 |doi=10.12741/ebrasilis.v15.e1006 |issn=1983-0572}} Due to the lack of soldiers, Apicotermitinae workers are more aggressive and have evolved additional defenses such as autothysis. For example, the dehiscent organ located within the abdomen of Ruptitermes workers, which they intentionally rupture to release toxic substances onto their main predators, ants.{{Cite journal |last=Poiani |first=Silvana B. |last2=Costa-Leonardo |first2=Ana M. |date=2016-03-01 |title=Dehiscent organs used for defensive behavior of kamikaze termites of the genus Ruptitermes (Termitidae, Apicotermitinae) are not glands |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096843281530069X |journal=Micron |volume=82 |pages=63–73 |doi=10.1016/j.micron.2015.12.011 |issn=0968-4328|hdl=11449/172447 |hdl-access=free }}