CreatureData

Formosan termite

Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, 1909

Status not recordedinsects

The formosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus) is a species in the family Heterotermitidae, order Blattodea.

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Quick facts about the formosan termite

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Resting metabolic rate
0.0102 mW
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the formosan termite live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the formosan termite as introduced in 5 countries, and flagged as invasive in 2 of them.

  1. Japaninvasive
  2. Marshall Islandsinvasive
  3. South Africa
  4. Sri Lanka
  5. United States

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the formosan termite endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the formosan termite classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderBlattodea
  5. familyHeterotermitidae
  6. genusCoptotermes
  7. SpeciesCoptotermes formosanus Shiraki, 1909

Synonyms Coptotermes communis, Coptotermes eucalyptus, Coptotermes formosae, Coptotermes guangzhouensis, Coptotermes guizhouensis, Coptotermes heteromorphus, Coptotermes hongkonensis, Coptotermes intrudens, Coptotermes rectangularis, Coptotermes remotus, Coptotermes xiaoliangensis

Other names and names in other languages (11)
  • Formosan subterranean termiteEnglish
  • Termita subterránea asiáticaSpanish
  • טרמיט העל הפורמוסיHebrew
  • イエシロアリJapanese
  • 집흰개미Korean
  • 家白蟻Chinese
  • 台灣乳白蟻Chinese
  • 台灣家白蟻Chinese
  • 家屋白蟻Chinese
  • 臺灣乳白蟻Chinese
  • 臺灣家白蟻Chinese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the formosan termite

Other species in the same genus Coptotermes.

Rubber termite

Coptotermes curvignathus

HeterotermitidaeNo free photo yet

Milk termite

Coptotermes lacteus

HeterotermitidaeNo free photo yet

CompareFormosan termite vs Philippine milk termiteFormosan termite vs Rubber termiteFormosan termite vs Milk termiteFormosan termite vs Australian subterranean termite

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the formosan termite an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the formosan termite as invasive in 2 countries: Japan and Marshall Islands. It lists it as introduced in 5 in all.

What kind of animal is the formosan termite?

The formosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus) belongs to the family Heterotermitidae in the order Blattodea.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Formosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/formosan-termite

MLA

“Formosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/formosan-termite.

BibTeX
@misc{formosan_termite_2026,
  title = {Formosan termite (Coptotermes formosanus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/formosan-termite},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}