Z. nevadensis termites in the laboratory of Janet Shellman-Reeve.
Additional photos are available here .
A just-paired male can wander off in search of a better female. Biting off the tip of a mate's antenna might squelch thoughts of separation, Shellman-Reeve hypothesizes. The process can be contentious and violent, but it makes sense. You want the best possible mate to help raise your offspring, and that's not always the first one you meet when you land on a log. Big-bodied females are better suited, biologically speaking, for raising young.