Bare areas caused by Hodotermes mossambicus in the northern Namib Desert

Abstract

The harvester termite Hodotermes mossambicus is not regarded as causing fairy circles. On the other hand, the harvester termites forage huge amounts of grass biomass in the Namib Desert and beyond. This article describes quite different patterns caused by Hodotermes mossambicus in the Namib Desert. In addition to the well-known homogeneous foraging pattern this article newly describes hexagonal patterns and rare circular patterns from the Kunene region in northwestern Namibia.