Bug FAQArizona Dampwood Termite
Zootermopsis laticeps · Order: Blattodea · Family: Archotermopsidae
Arizona Dampwood Termite lives in rotting wood of standing trees near water in arid parts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It eats decayed wood with the help of gut microbes and will also consume injured colony members or termites from other colonies. A colony is started by a winged male and female after a nuptial flight and dies when the dead wood it lives in is exhausted.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They inhabit rotting wood in standing trees along riparian zones.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Their diet consists mainly of rotten wood, aided by symbiotic gut bacteria and protozoa that break down cellulose. They will also eat injured members of their own colony and, opportunistically, termites from other colonies.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
A new colony is founded by a winged male and female after a nuptial flight. When the supply of dead wood is exhausted, the colony dies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their native range covers arid parts of southwestern North America. Specifically, they occur from Arizona and New Mexico down into northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Species of Zootermopsis are hard to distinguish; cuticle hydrocarbon analysis is limited, but near-infrared spectroscopy can separate them with over 99% accuracy.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does a colony start?
A colony begins when a winged male and female termite mate during a nuptial flight and start a new nest.
Source: Wikipedia
What do Arizona Dampwood Termites eat?
They primarily consume rotten wood, using gut microbes to digest cellulose, and may also eat injured colony members or other termites.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this species apart from other Zootermopsis termites?
Although cuticle hydrocarbon analysis is limited, near-infrared spectroscopy can identify the species with over 99% accuracy.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Archotermopsidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zootermopsis_laticeps
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.