With recent evidence of hybridization events in the field, the phenotypic traits of F1 hybrid colonies of 2 destructive subterranean termite species, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) remain to be investigated. In this study, laboratory colonies of 2 conspecific pairings and 2 heterospecific pairings (hybrid F = ♀C. formosanus × ♂C. gestroi, hybrid G = ♀C. gestroi × ♂C. formosanus) were examined in Florida, USA, and in Taiwan. Colony nest architecture for both hybrids displayed disorganized carton materials compared to the defined trabecular carton of both parental species. Soldier head measurements were not a reliable approach for diagnostic purposes, as soldier morphometric traits widely overlapped across all mating combinations, except for hybrid F soldiers displaying abnormally long mandibles. Hybrid F soldiers\' mandibles also remained parallel when at rest. However, 4 qualitative morphological differences in soldiers were determined for diagnostic purposes. First, the fontanelle in both hybrids is horizontally ellipsoid whereas subcircular in C. gestroi and trianguliform in C. formosanus. Second, sclerotized striations along the postmental sulcus are present in C. gestroi, absent in C. formosanus, and intermediate in both hybrid soldier types. Third, each lateral margin of the fontanelle is flanked by 2 setae in C. formosanus and both hybrids, while a single seta resides on each side of the fontanelle in C. gestroi. Finally, C. gestroi and hybrid soldiers\' heads are characterized by a bulging vertex that is lacking in C. formosanus. Therefore, a combination of these 4 characteristics now allows for soldier identification of hybrid Coptotermes.

The Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi, is a tropical species but has increasingly been collected from the subtropics in recent years, making it sympatric to the Formosan subterranean termite, C. formosanus in at least three areas, Taiwan, Hawaii, and Florida. Simultaneous flights by these two species were observed since 2013 in South Florida, during which interspecies tandems were observed. Laboratory mating of C. formosanus and C. gestroi alates produced hybrid incipient colonies of larger population size. Studies are underway to examine the presence in the field of hybrid colonies in sympatric areas of Taiwan and Florida. Other biological characteristics of C. formosanus × C. gestroi hybrids being studied include temperature tolerance and preference, colony growth rate, wood-consumption rate, and reproductive fertility. This current research aims to determine the potential establishment of a hybrid termite population in south Florida and Taiwan. It investigates the risk of introgressive hybridization in field populations, with an emphasis on its potential ecological, evolutionary, and economic consequences.