Termite is a species of social cockroach

British scientists claim they have the strongest evidence so far that termites actually belong to the cockroach family. The study examined the DNA sequence of five genes in termites and found that their closest relative was a wood-eating cockroach species.

Study co-author, Paul Eggleton, explains why their study found the true identities of these organisms.

"In the past, people thought that because termites had a very different appearance, they had to belong to a different creature. Only recently, when we looked at characteristics other than obvious shapes and sizes. Of the term, we realized that cockroaches are very numerous. "

Order classification

All living organisms are classified in a taxon system (family tree), according to the most general hierarchies (stems) to the smallest division (branches): gender, industry, class, set, family, genus and finally species. The smaller the levels are, the greater the creature's similarity.

(Photo: nhm.ac.uk)

When analyzing the DNA sequence of 107 species of Dictyopera (including termites, cockroaches, and mantis), the team concluded that termites should be placed in a family of cockroaches.

Eggleton was not surprised by the result. He said the classification of termites has been controversial since the 1930s. This controversy began when researchers found that some species of gut bacteria that allowed them to digest wood were also present in a group of cockroaches.

T. An