Thomas Bourguignon
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View article: An integrative revision of the genus Isognathotermes (Termitidae: Cubitermitinae) with description of seven new species and four new subspecies
An integrative revision of the genus Isognathotermes (Termitidae: Cubitermitinae) with description of seven new species and four new subspecies Open
Cubitermitinae species whose workers have enteric valves of the fungifaber and finitimus patterns were previously gathered into the genus Isognathotermes. Here, we revise this genus, combining the morphological and anatomical features of a…
View article: Integrative taxonomy unravels the true identity of Linnaeus' <i>Termes fatalis</i> (Isoptera: Termitidae), the source of termites' name
Integrative taxonomy unravels the true identity of Linnaeus' <i>Termes fatalis</i> (Isoptera: Termitidae), the source of termites' name Open
The identity of Termes fatalis Linnaeus, the species that gave termites their name, is still controversial since recent molecular and chemical studies showed that at least two different taxa match its description. This paper aims to resolv…
View article: Nasutitermes aurantius (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae), a new nasutiform termite species from Panama and a key to soldiers of Central American Nasutitermes Dudley, 1890
Nasutitermes aurantius (Isoptera, Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae), a new nasutiform termite species from Panama and a key to soldiers of Central American Nasutitermes Dudley, 1890 Open
Nasutitermes aurantius sp. nov. , is described from Central Panama. The soldier is unique among Central American Nasutitermes by its small size and orange head capsule coloration. The enteric valve armature is also unique among congeners. …
View article: Sequencing of the chloroplast genome of Taimo, a paddy cultivar of Taro ( <i>Colocasia esculenta</i> (L.) Schott) in the Ryukyu Archipelago
Sequencing of the chloroplast genome of Taimo, a paddy cultivar of Taro ( <i>Colocasia esculenta</i> (L.) Schott) in the Ryukyu Archipelago Open
Taimo is a paddy cultivar of Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) that is traditionally consumed in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Its origin remains unknown, although it has been identified as belonging to a haplotype commonly found in …
View article: Termites became the dominant decomposers of the tropics after two diversification pulses
Termites became the dominant decomposers of the tropics after two diversification pulses Open
Insects have the highest species richness among animals, but the extent of their diversity and the timing of their diversification remain unclear. Insect diversification is difficult to infer due to the incompleteness of the fossil record.…
View article: Horizontal gene transfers are widespread across termite genomes but do not confer metabolic innovations
Horizontal gene transfers are widespread across termite genomes but do not confer metabolic innovations Open
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the transmission of genetic material across species, is an important innovation source in prokaryotes. In contrast, its significance is unclear in many eukaryotes, including insects. Here, we used high-quali…
View article: Exploration and generation of cell transcriptomes over deep evolutionary time
Exploration and generation of cell transcriptomes over deep evolutionary time Open
Whole-organism cell atlases have painted the cellular landscapes of individual species; however, comparing cells across the tree of life remains challenging. Most cross-species analyses are restricted to orthologous genes, while the comple…
View article: Obtusitermes monomorphus, a new termite species (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) from Panama
Obtusitermes monomorphus, a new termite species (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) from Panama Open
Obtusitermes monomorphus sp. nov. is described from the monomorphic soldier and worker castes. The two described congeners, O. panamae (Snyder, 1924) and O. formosulus Cuezzo and Cancello, 2009 both have dimorphic soldiers and workers. It …
View article: Unravelling termite evolution with 47 high-resolution genome assemblies
Unravelling termite evolution with 47 high-resolution genome assemblies Open
Termites are a lineage of social cockroaches abundant in tropical ecosystems where they are key decomposers of organic matter from wood to soil. Despite their ecological significance, only a handful of reference-quality termite genomes hav…
View article: Termites and subsocial roaches inherited many bacterial-borne carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) from their common ancestor
Termites and subsocial roaches inherited many bacterial-borne carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) from their common ancestor Open
Termites digest wood using Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes (CAZymes) produced by gut bacteria with whom they have cospeciated at geological timescales. Whether CAZymes were encoded in the genomes of their ancestor's gut bacteria and transmitte…
View article: Evolutionary history of soil-feeding Neotropical termites reveals recent divergences linked to geologic-climatic influences
Evolutionary history of soil-feeding Neotropical termites reveals recent divergences linked to geologic-climatic influences Open
The Neotropics harbor a diverse array of flora and fauna shaped by a complex geological and climatic history. It includes marine invasions, pulses of Andean uplift, glaciations, and the uplift of the Panama Isthmus. These events have shape…
View article: How inquilinism shaped breeding systems in a termite host-inquiline relationship
How inquilinism shaped breeding systems in a termite host-inquiline relationship Open
Social insects have developed a broad diversity of nesting and foraging strategies. One of these, inquilinism, occurs when one species (the inquiline) inhabits the nest built and occupied by another species (the host). Obligatory inquiline…
View article: How inquilinism shaped breeding systems in a termite host‐inquiline relationship
How inquilinism shaped breeding systems in a termite host‐inquiline relationship Open
Social insects have developed a broad diversity of nesting and foraging strategies. One of these, inquilinism, occurs when one species (the inquiline) inhabits the nest built and occupied by another species (the host). Obligatory inquiline…
View article: Solving the 250-year-old mystery of the origin and global spread of the German cockroach,<i>Blattella germanica</i>
Solving the 250-year-old mystery of the origin and global spread of the German cockroach,<i>Blattella germanica</i> Open
The origin of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica , is enigmatic, in part because it is ubiquitous worldwide in human-built structures but absent from any natural habitats. The first historical records of this species are from ca. 25…
View article: Pervasive relaxed selection in termite genomes
Pervasive relaxed selection in termite genomes Open
Genetic changes that enabled the evolution of eusociality have long captivated biologists. More recently, attention has focussed on the consequences of eusociality on genome evolution. Studies have reported higher molecular evolutionary ra…
View article: Shrinking in the dark: Parallel endosymbiont genome erosions are associated with repeated host transitions to an underground life
Shrinking in the dark: Parallel endosymbiont genome erosions are associated with repeated host transitions to an underground life Open
Microbial symbioses have had profound impacts on the evolution of animals. Conversely, changes in host biology may impact the evolutionary trajectory of symbionts themselves. Blattabacterium cuenoti is present in almost all cockroach speci…
View article: Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber
Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber Open
Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reco…
View article: Dating in the Dark: Elevated Substitution Rates in Cave Cockroaches (Blattodea: Nocticolidae) Have Negative Impacts on Molecular Date Estimates
Dating in the Dark: Elevated Substitution Rates in Cave Cockroaches (Blattodea: Nocticolidae) Have Negative Impacts on Molecular Date Estimates Open
Rates of nucleotide substitution vary substantially across the Tree of Life, with potentially confounding effects on phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses. A large acceleration in mitochondrial substitution rate occurs in the cockroach fa…
View article: Pervasive relaxed selection in termite genomes
Pervasive relaxed selection in termite genomes Open
The genetic changes that enabled the evolution of eusociality have long captivated biologists. In recent years, attention has focussed on the consequences of eusociality on genome evolution. Studies have reported higher molecular evolution…
View article: Shrinking in the dark: Parallel endosymbiont genome erosions are associated with repeated host transitions to an underground life
Shrinking in the dark: Parallel endosymbiont genome erosions are associated with repeated host transitions to an underground life Open
Microbial symbioses have had profound impacts on the evolution of animals. Conversely, changes in host biology may impact the evolutionary trajectory of symbionts themselves. Blattabacterium cuenoti is present in almost all cockroach speci…
View article: Mitochondrial phylogenetics position a new Afrotropical termite species into its own subfamily, the Engelitermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae)
Mitochondrial phylogenetics position a new Afrotropical termite species into its own subfamily, the Engelitermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae) Open
While new species of termites are described every year, the description of species distant from every known termite species is rare. In this paper, we describe one such species, Engelitermes zambo sp.n. , an African Termitidae belonging to…
View article: Data from: Mitochondrial phylogenetics position a new Afrotropical termite species into its own subfamily, the Engelitermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae)
Data from: Mitochondrial phylogenetics position a new Afrotropical termite species into its own subfamily, the Engelitermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae) Open
While new species of termites are described every year, the description of species distant from every known termite species is rare. In this paper, we describe one such species, Engelitermes zambo sp. n., an African Termitidae belonging to…
View article: Data from: Mitochondrial phylogenetics position a new Afrotropical termite species into its own subfamily, the Engelitermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae)
Data from: Mitochondrial phylogenetics position a new Afrotropical termite species into its own subfamily, the Engelitermitinae (Blattodea: Termitidae) Open
While new species of termites are described every year, the description of species distant from every known termite species is rare. In this paper, we describe one such species, Engelitermes zambo sp. n., an African Termitidae belonging to…
View article: Diminishing the taxonomic gap in the neotropical soldierless termites: descriptions of four new genera and a new Anoplotermes species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)
Diminishing the taxonomic gap in the neotropical soldierless termites: descriptions of four new genera and a new Anoplotermes species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae) Open
The neotropical Apicotermitinae is a common and widespread clade of mostly soil-feeding soldierless termites. With few exceptions, species of this group were originally assigned to the genus Anoplotermes Müller, 1873. The application of in…
View article: Evidence of cospeciation between termites and their gut bacteria on a geological time scale
Evidence of cospeciation between termites and their gut bacteria on a geological time scale Open
Termites host diverse communities of gut microbes, including many bacterial lineages only found in this habitat. The bacteria endemic to termite guts are transmitted via two routes: a vertical route from parent colonies to daughter colonie…
View article: Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber
Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber Open
Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reco…