Dear Richard,
I finally found time to check my literature for references towards
termite activity on bones as proposed in September. So here are the results:
Gautier (1993, 515-516), talking about trace fossils in general, refers
to traces of arthropod activities on bones but does not mention termites
in particular. The illustrations show only traces of beetle and ant
activities. However he gives some references that may lead further.
Kaiser (2000) gives several examples of termite activity from Africa
including drawings and photographs. He also points towards more
references dealing exlusivley with this subject like Thorne & Kimsey
(1983), Watson & Abbey (1986) and the paper by Derry (1911) you cited in
your first mail. I do not have these myself, so I cannot tell anything
about the content. Behrensmeyer (1978) and Shipman (1981, 111-112) refer
shortly to termites acting on bones. You already mentioned Tappen (1994)
and Wylie et al. (1987) during the correspondence so I do not need to
quote them again.
References:
BEHRENSMEYER, ANNA KAY (1978): Taphonomic and ecologic information from
bone weathering. - Paleobiology 4(2), 150-162, Chicago
Gautier, Achilles (1993): Trace Fossils in Archaeozoology. – Journal of
Archaeological Science 20, 511-523
Kaiser, Thomas M. (2000): Proposed Fossil Insect Modification to Fossil
Mammalian Bone from Plio-Pleistocene Hominid-Bearing Deposits of Laetoli
(Northern Tanzania). – Annals of the Entomological Society of America
93, 693-700
SHIPMAN, PAT (1981): Life History of a Fossil, Cambridge
Thorne, B. L. & Kimsey, R. B. (1983): Attraction of Neotropical
Nasutitermes termites to carrion. – Biotropics 15(4), 295-296
Watson, J. A. L. & Abbey, H. M. (1986): The effects of termites
(Isoptera) on bone: some archaeological implications. – Sociobiology 11,
245-254
I hope this is helpful.
Christian
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