Comparative Patterns of Cuticular Hydrocarbon Diversity in Termites Across Castes and Nesting Life Types.

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are central to insect waterproofing and chemical communication, yet their diversity and comparative distribution in termites have not been synthesized comprehensively. Here, we present a systematic review of termite CHCs with emphasis on worker profiles, caste-level comparisons, and descriptive ecological interpretation. The qualitative synthesis included 28 studies, whereas the filtered statistical dataset comprised 37 worker profiles representing 37 species. Across the reviewed literature, termite cuticles contained a recurrent but variable combination of n-alkanes, n-alkenes, alkadienes, alkatrienes, mono-, di-, and trimethylalkanes. Species-level mapping showed that saturated and methyl-branched hydrocarbons were broadly distributed across the sampled taxa, whereas unsaturated compounds were more unevenly represented across the dataset. Genus-level synthesis showed that methyl-alkane-dominated, olefin-dominated, and mixed worker profiles occur in different higher taxonomic groups within the sampled dataset. Quantitative comparison of selected worker profiles highlighted broad chemistry in