Data for: Termite nest evolution fostered social parasitism by termitophilous rove beetles

Colonies of social insects contain large amounts of resources often
exploited by specialized social parasites. While some termite species host
numerous parasitic arthropod species, called termitophiles, others host
none. The reason for this large variability remains unknown. Here we
report that the evolution of termitophily in rove beetles is linked to
termite nesting strategies. We compared one-piece nesters, whose entire
colony life is completed within a single wood piece, to foraging species,
which exploit multiple physically separated food sources. Our
epidemiological model predicts that characteristics related to foraging
(e.g., extended colony longevity and frequent interactions with other
colonies) increase the probability of parasitism by termitophiles. We
tested our prediction using literature data. We found that foraging
species are more likely to host termitophilous rove beetles than one-piece
nesters: 99.6% of known termitophilous species were associated with
foraging termites, while 0.4% were associated with one-piece nesters.
Notably, the few one-piece nesting species hosting termitophiles were
those having foraging potential and access to soil. Our phylogenetic
analyses confirmed that termitophily primarily evolved with foraging
termites. These results highlight that the evolution of complex termite
societies fostered social parasitism, explaining why some species have
more social parasites than others.