Scientists say they have discovered a previously unknown crystal structure in termites in a species from French Guiana that raises the toxicity of their chemical weapons.
Like other species, Neocapritermes taracua has soldier termites which defend their colony from attack, and workers who can rush to their aid if there is a need.
But unlike other termites, these workers are able to explode themselves, covering the enemy in a toxic chemical which corrodes their bodies, the scientists said.
"My PhD student, Thomas Bourguignon, was studying termite community ecology and collecting species when, casually, he found something really special," Prof Yves Roisin from the Free University of Brussels told BBC News.
By rupturing their bodies, Neocapritermes taracua release a toxic chemical that sticks to intruders, holding them fast and corroding their bodies.
"The defensive secretions are stored in salivary glands, but in these species there is a 'backpack' with two crystals carried outside the body. When the termite bursts, the two mix together, producing the more toxic compounds," Roisin said.
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The "backpacks" are formed from pouches on the outside of the body of the termite.
Biologists believe it allows the ageing workers to become more "useful" to the colony as sacrificial, defensive bombs.
The research was published in Science.
How the crystals are synthesised is, as yet, unknown. Also unknown is whether other species in the genus have evolved a similar backpack system.
"There are some five or six species in the genus, but it's the only species [that carries a backpack] we've seen so far," Roisin said.
"It's quite strange," Roisin added.
The research was recently published in Science.