Cuban Laurel Thrips vs Lacteus Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cuban Laurel Thrips Lacteus Termite
Scientific Name Gynaikothrips ficorum Coptotermes lacteus
Order Thysanoptera Blattodea
Family Phlaeothripidae Rhinotermitidae
Size 2.5-3.0 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions Asia, North America, South America, Oceania Eastern Australia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Cuban Laurel Thrips

A large dark thrips that causes leaf rolling on Ficus species. Colonies live inside the rolled leaves they create.

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Did You Know?

Entire colonies of hundreds of individuals live communally inside a single rolled fig leaf.

Lacteus Termite

An Australian mound-building termite that constructs distinctive dark, hard-walled mounds up to 2 meters tall. The mounds are a common sight in pastures and open woodland across eastern Australia. Workers are pale and soft-bodied with gut protozoa for cellulose digestion.

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Did You Know?

Their mounds are so durable that they persist for decades after the colony dies and are sometimes used as road-building material in rural Australia.