Tumulitermes Mound Termite vs Water Measurer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tumulitermes Mound Termite Water Measurer
Scientific Name Tumulitermes pastinator Hydrometra australis
Order Blattodea Hemiptera
Family Termitidae Hydrometridae
Size 3-5 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Grasslands Ponds & Lakes
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Northern Australia Americas, from southern United States to South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tumulitermes Mound Termite

An Australian grass-harvesting termite that builds small columnar mounds in tropical savannas. Workers forage in open columns to harvest grass during cooler parts of the day. Nasute soldiers protect the foraging parties from ant attacks.

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Did You Know?

This species times its foraging precisely to avoid the heat of the day, emerging in synchronized mass foraging events at dawn and dusk.

Water Measurer

A very slender, elongate semi-aquatic bug that walks slowly on water surfaces in the Americas. Its head is exceptionally long and narrow with a small rostrum at the tip. It moves with slow, deliberate steps along pond margins.

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Did You Know?

It is so lightweight that it can walk on the water surface without breaking the surface tension, leaving no visible dimples where its feet contact the water.