Advances, challenges, and prospects in termites taxonomy research in China

Termites are among the important decomposers in tropical and subtropical ecosystems, with significant scientific and economic value. Despite a relatively short research history in China, termite taxonomy has undergone a phase of rapid development and achieved remarkable progress. This paper reviews the research history of termite taxonomy in China from the 1960s onward, evaluates the achievements in species diversity and classification system from the perspectives of taxonomic methods and criteria across different developmental stages, analyzes the main challenges currently faced in taxonomic revision, and finally outlines prospects for future research in Chinese termite taxonomy.