With the ever-increasing rate of globalization, port of entry data can be an important source of information for the introduction and spread of invasive species on a worldwide scale. Using a comprehensive dataset spanning records from 1923 to 2017, termite interceptions at US ports of entry were analyzed. We identified 906 non-native interceptions originating from outside the US, including four families, 32 genera and 75 different termite species. Non-native termites originated from 88 different countries and were intercepted in 29 different states. There was a strong regional bias, with termite-rich areas closest to the US—Central America, South America and the Caribbean—the greatest exporters of termite species to the US. Among the 75 non-native termites intercepted, 12 had already become established outside of their native range, with eight appearing to utilize bridgeheads to expand their global distribution. Additionally, the establishment probability of a species was positively influenced by the number of interceptions, as three of the most common non-native species intercepted at ports of entry are currently established within the US—Nasutitermes corniger, Cryptotermes brevis and Coptotermes formosanus. Our results reveal important insights into the global dispersal of invasive termites and contribute further evidence towards the importance of trade, increased propagule pressure and the bridgehead effect as drivers of global invasion rates.

随着全球化程度的不断提高，入境口岸数据可以成为在全球范围内引入和传播入侵物种的重要信息来源。使用涵盖1923年至2017年记录的综合数据集，分析了美国入境口岸的白蚁拦截情况。我们确定了906个来自美国以外地区的非本地拦截，包括四个科，32个属和75个不同的白蚁物种。非本地白蚁起源于88个不同国家，并在29个不同州被截获。存在强烈的地区偏见，白蚁富集地区最接近美国-中美洲，南美和加勒比海-对美国的白蚁物种最大出口国。在被截获的75个非本地白蚁中，有12个已经在其本地范围之外建立，其中有八家似乎正在利用桥头堡扩大其全球分布。此外，物种的建立概率受到拦截次数的积极影响，因为目前在美国境内建立了三种最常见的在入境口岸被拦截的非本土物种：Nasutitermes Corniger，Cryptotermes brevis和Coptotermes formosanus。我们的研究结果揭示了对侵入性白蚁在全球范围内扩散的重要见解，并为贸易的重要性，不断增加的繁殖压力和作为全球入侵率驱动因素的桥头效应提供了进一步的证据。