Termagant

Tyranids Portal

A Termagant

Termagants are fast, agile and cunning Tyranid creatures of the Gaunt genus. While not very strong individually, Termagants will overwhelm much more elite foes with superior numbers and support from larger Tyranid breeds.^[1]

Description

Termagants are slightly more than two metres from head to tail, and were originally created to roam the arterial passages of Bio-ships as agile bodyguards searching for intruders. They carry anti-personnel Bio-weapons in their forelimbs, commonly Fleshborers which have a symbiotic relationship with the Fleshborer beetle species. Depending on the situation, termagants are sometimes also equipped with Spike Rifles, Stranglewebs, Spinefists, or Devourers.^[1]

Termagants are among the first species of Tyranid dispatched when a Hive Fleet invades a system.^[2] In battle they are often seen accompanying Tyranid Warriors. In fact, there is a strange affinity between the two species. Termagants will react instinctively when a Tyranid Warrior is threatened by swamping the opponent with overwhelming numbers before the Warrior can be harmed. This reaction may be to protect the Synapse ability of Warriors and so preserve the Hive Mind's control over the Tyranid swarm.^[1]

Termagants are naturally cunning and have a strong sense of self-preservation. Often they will skirt an enemy ambush and instead find a way to assail their foe from an unexpected quarter, or they will seek out and exploit enemy weak points. If cut off from the Hive Mind's influence, a Termagant's self-preservation instinct will take control and they will typically abandon the fight in search of shelter. This seeming weakness means however that Termagants remain a threat once a Tyranid assault has been defeated since every cave, ruin, or path of undergrowth that surviving defenders pass by could conceal a nest of Termagants ready to attack upon discovery. In some circumstances the Hive Mind will suppress the survival instincts of Termagants to instead send them rushing forward for the sole purpose of depleting enemy ammunition stores.^[1]

Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Record [3]
Designation	Termagant
Common Title	Critters, Hunter-Slayers
Species Name	Gauntii virago
Average Height	1.3m
Average Weight	0.2 tonnes
First encountered	Tyran
Role	Infantry
Threat evaluation	Medium

Images

• 

  Termagant Miniatures (10th Edition)^[4]

• 

  Termagant miniature (3rd Edition)

• 

  Termagant (2nd Edition)^[1]

See also

• Species of Tyranid
• Gaunt (Tyranid)
• Fleshborer beetle

Sources

• 1: Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition), pg. 39
• 2: Apocalypse, ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 3: Imperial Armour Volume Four - The Anphelion Project, ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 4: Warhammer Community : Warhammer Preview Online: AdeptiCon – The Hive Mind Evolves the Horde (23/03/23) (saved archive, last accessed 11/04/23)

Uncited

This article purports to rely on sources which are not cited in the body of the text. For help on citation see the citation guidelines. You can help Lexicanum by fixing it.

• http://oz.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tyranids/extras/evolution/3.htm Evolution of the Tyranids, Australian Games Workshop (Acessed 2008.11.12)
• Codex: Tyranids (4th Edition)