Table 3 Meaning of termite vernacular names across ethnic groups of the study area
Criteria of denomination | Percentage of responses | Vernacular names (ethnic group) | Meaning of the vernacular name |
|---|---|---|---|
Morphological aspect (colour and size) | 78.28 | Tounidé (Waama), Toukouéma (Waama), | Big termite |
Toumégan (Waama), Toubarma (Waama) | Small termite | ||
Ditouré (M’bermin), Dikpéri (Ditamari), Touap-tikanda (Biali), | Large red-bodied termite | ||
Toukouba (Bariba), Mankotobi (Ditamari), Ntoubomin (M’bermin), Nsomin (M’bermin), Mohidamédji (Peulh), Touapopoué (Biali), | Small white-bodied termite | ||
Mambotoumien (Ditamari), Dikoutori (M’bermin), Toukourokou or Gotourou (Bariba), Mohibodédji (Peulh), Touapiyotouhinsi (Biali), Kouba (Bariba) | Small red-bodied termite | ||
Itoubouo (Ditamari) | Termite with white body and red head | ||
Size and shape of mandible | 16.48 | Ditour (Ditamari), Toubanga (Bariba), Gangaré (Peulh), | Big termite with large mandibles |
Termites caste | 1.12 | Atoubi (M’bermi-n) | Child of the mother |
Cohesion of termites | 4.12 | Dibi (Ditamari) | Termites that evolve together |