Morphological Identification and Molecular Characterization of Termites in Selected Areas in Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Morphological analysis of termites is crucial for the identification of the species and is used as the method available when molecular identification is not accessible, especially in developing countries. Thus, the study aimed to determine the morphological identification and molecular characterization of termites in selected areas in Keffi, Nasarawa State. Ten (10) soldiers and ten (10) worker termites were randomly sampled for identification from each study locations. In this study, head color, size, and shape, number of antennae segments, mandible shape, pronotum shape, and gula shape were considered as morphological characters and compared with identification keys. Species richness, dominance, and evenness or equitability indices were determined using Shannon–Wiener diversity index and Margalef's index. A total of one hundred and twenty-one (121) termite was in this study. Three subfamilies were represented: Nasutitermitinae, which included Trinervitermesgeminatus (58). Macrotermitinae, consisting of Macrotermesbellicosus (43), and Macrotermessubhyalinus (11). Termitinae, composed of Microcerotermessp (9). Macrotermitinae and Macrotermessubhyalinus constituted 35.5% and 9.1% respectively. Microcerotermessp recorded the list percentage occurrence of 7.4%. The species diversity indices varied between locations. GRA exhibited the highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index (1.168), whereas Angwan Lambu recorded the lowest (0.6364). Similarly, Simpson's diversity index was highest in GRA (0.64) and lowest in Angwan Lambu (0.44). Regarding species richness, the Margalef index indicated the highest value in GRA (1.001), contrasting with the lowest value observed in El- Kabir (0.3338). Understanding the abundance of termite species is crucial for effective control measures, and studies on species diversity in areas with anthropogenic activities are crucial for monitoring biodiversity loss in the environment.

Termite, Isoptera, DNA Extraction, Gel Electrophoresis, Keffi, Nigeria

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