Syntermes dirus is a species of termite native to Brazil which forage in the open for dead leaves, twigs etcetera.

They build mounds up to eight feet (2.5 meters) high which may require 4,000 years to complete.

[1][2] Of the nine most common species of termite in the Distrito Federal (Brasilia) Syntermes dirus is by far the largest, with soldiers averaging 117.3 micrograms (six times the weight of the second largest) and a length of 15.57 millimeters.

This species forages at night for grass, leaves, both green and recently fallen.

In Brasilia the nests extend 1.5 meters (five feet) beneath the mound.