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Heterotermitidae
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<p>The Heterotermitidae, or subterranean <a href="/facts/Termite/KRFbDumW">termites</a>, is a family of termites that was elevated to family level from the subfamily <i><a href="/facts/Heterotermitinae/RpbMUYeD">Heterotermitinae</a></i>, formerly nested in <i><a href="/facts/Rhinotermitidae/1FJFn66Y">Rhinotermitidae</a></i>. Recent cladistic analyses as of 2024 strongly support <i>Heterotermitidae</i> as sister to the <i><a href="/facts/Termitidae/tnqScWYE">Termitidae</a></i>, forming the clade <i>Geoisoptera</i>. Members of this family are some of the most economically significant insects known, with <i><a href="/facts/Formosan_subterranean_termite/HufUHaBd">Coptotermes formosanus</a></i> in particular costing an estimated >$2.2 billion in damages within the United States alone. They primarily feed through the soil-wood interface, foraging for food through the soil and mud tubes. The nests of most species are typically diffuse galleries and tunnels, however <i><a href="/facts/Coptotermes/TAXSCuqn">Coptotermes</a></i> is known to build more complex centralized nests built from carton, with some species building mounds. </p>