Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.
J Insect Sci. 2007;7:18. doi: 10.1673/031.007.1801.
Dampwood termites of the genus Zootermopsis (Isoptera: Termopsidae) are an abundant group of basal termites found in temperate forests of western North America. Three species are currently recognized in the genus and one of these species is subdivided into two subspecies. Although morphological and genetic characters are useful in differentiating among the three species and the two subspecies, respectively, only hydrocarbon analysis can enable differentiation both among the three species and the two subspecies. Due to the limitations of hydrocarbon analysis, such as the need for fresh specimens, alternative methods that could rapidly and accurately identify Zootermopsis would be useful. Using a partial least squares analysis of near-infrared spectra, each of the Zootermopsis species and subspecies were identified with greater than 95% and 80% accuracy, respectively. Neural network analysis of the near-infrared spectra successfully enabled the identification of the species and subspecies with greater than 99% accuracy. The inexpensive, reproducible, and rapid nature of near-infrared spectroscopy makes it a viable alternative to morphological, hydrocarbon, or genetic analysis for identifying Zootermopsis.
木栖白蚁属的白蚁（等翅目：白蚁科）是北美西部温带森林中丰富的基白蚁群。该属目前有 3 个种，其中 1 个种分为 2 个亚种。虽然形态学和遗传学特征分别有助于区分这 3 个种和 2 个亚种，但只有碳氢化合物分析才能区分这 3 个种和 2 个亚种。由于碳氢化合物分析存在局限性，例如需要新鲜标本，因此能够快速准确地识别木栖白蚁的替代方法将是有用的。使用近红外光谱的偏最小二乘分析，每个木栖白蚁种和亚种的识别准确率均大于 95%和 80%。近红外光谱的神经网络分析成功地实现了大于 99%的种和亚种的识别准确率。近红外光谱具有成本低、重现性好、快速的特点，因此是识别木栖白蚁的形态学、碳氢化合物或遗传学分析的可行替代方法。
