Giant Termite vs Lacteus Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Termite Lacteus Termite
Scientific Name Macrognathotermes sunteri Coptotermes lacteus
Order Blattodea Blattodea
Family Termitidae Rhinotermitidae
Size Workers 6-8 mm; soldiers up to 12 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Australia Eastern Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant Termite

One of Australia's largest termite species with soldiers bearing massive curved mandibles. It builds large dome-shaped mounds in tropical woodland.

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Did You Know?

Its soldiers have such powerful jaws they can draw blood if they bite a human finger.

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.