Classification

Common Name: Eastern Subterranean Termite

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Pterygota
Family: Rhinoternitidae
Genus: Reticulitermes
Species: flavipes

Domain Eukarya - Members are characterized by having cells with great structural complexity such as the cytoskeleton system, mitochondria, Golgi bodies, plastids and vacuoles (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).

Kingdom Animalia - Members have either an exo- or endoskeleton, multicellular and are heterotrophs (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).

Phylum Arthropoda - Members of this Phylum have bilateral symmetry, tri-segmented bodies (head, thorax, and abdomen), which may be fused together, and exoskeletons (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).

Class Insecta -  All members are characterized by having three pairs of legs and one pair of antennae, some may have one or two pairs of wings (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).

Order Pterygota - Members are winged insects that can fold their wings back flat against their back (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).

Family Rhinotermitidae - Members feed on wood and have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in their digestive tract (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).

Reticulitermes flavipes - Members are hemimetabolous (have three distinct developmental stages: egg, nymph, and adult), biting mouthparts and are polymorphic (workers, soldiers, kings and queens) (Encyclopedia of Life 2011).