A very large bodied soil feeding termite now recorded from scattered points across the Guinea-Congolese forest block, and from one savannah area (in Congo, Kinshasa, Deligne & Pasteels 1969). An undescribed species from southern Cameroon (Eggleton et al. 1996) is the largest soil feeding termite known, and was enormously important in both biomass and energy flow terms in one plot in southern Cameroon (see Eggleton et al., 1998). However, the genus is very unpredictable in its distribution, as subsequent active searching for the species in the same plot yielded no individuals, although they were found again durig a subsequent sampling period.
Deligne & Pasteels (1969) concluded that Labidotermes celisii workers were dimorphic. However, Sands (1998) examined much longer series of the undescribed species from Cameroon and concluded that, for foraging parties at least, no such dimorphism existed.
Soldiers of Labidotermes are extremely rare, but striking in appearance, with large heads and long strong jaws. They are unlike any other soil feeding termite.
Two undescribed genera closely related to Labidotermes are known from rain forests in Cameroon and Congo (Brazzaville) (TRG, unpublished data).
Labidotermes is a Group IV feeder.
