Abstract
This commentary paper addresses the outdated and misleading terminology used to categorize termites into “higher” and “lower”. These terms perpetuate a linear progression view of evolution, which is both inaccurate and detrimental to our understanding of the diversity of life. We trace the historical origins of these terms and highlight their flawed interpretation of evolutionary relationships. We advocate for the adoption of Termitidae (or termitid), rather than “higher termites”. As for the paraphyletic group of “lower termites”, we recommend refraining from grouping them together, unless specifically referring to their symbionts. In such cases, we propose “protist-dependent termites” or “non-Termitidae termites”.
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Acknowledgements
Authors are thankful to all the participants of the ‘2022 International Termite Course’ (Ft Lauderdale, FL, USA), the event that nurtured this collaboration. We are grateful to the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for grants #2020/06041-4 (TFC), #2017/11768-8 (CMDS), #2014/11982-1 (JPC), #2020/08121-5 (IH), and #2018/22839-6 (AA); and to the Conselho Nacional de desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for grants #304027/2022-7 (CMDS) and #308408/2019-5 (EMC).
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Carrijo, T.F., Engel, M.S., Chouvenc, T. et al. A call to termitologists: it is time to abandon the use of “lower” and “higher” termites. Insect. Soc. 70, 295–299 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-023-00929-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-023-00929-0