Dark Mound Termite vs Ant Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dark Mound Termite Ant Cricket
Scientific Name Macrotermes carbonarius Myrmecophilus acervorum
Order Blattodea Orthoptera
Family Termitidae Gryllidae
Size 5–12 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fungus Feeders Parasites
Regions Southeast Asia Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Dark Mound Termite

A large fungus-growing termite found across Southeast Asia that builds conspicuous dark mounds. Workers process dead wood through underground fungal gardens.

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Did You Know?

The Termitomyces mushrooms that fruit from its mounds are prized as a delicacy across Southeast Asia.

Ant Cricket

A minute, wingless cricket that lives inside ant nests as a social parasite. It is oval-shaped and moves quickly among its host ants.

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Did You Know?

It acquires its host ants' cuticular hydrocarbons to smell like them, allowing it to live undetected inside their colony.