Termites are wood pests that cause vast economic damage every year. They digest both cellulose and starch, but the enzymes for starch digestion have not been well characterized. We obtained complete amino acid sequence information on the KME1 ${alpha}$-amylase from Reticulitermes speratus KMT1 through analysis of total mRNA sequences. The KME1 enzyme has two ${alpha}$-amylase domains and is 68% identical to the ${alpha}$-amylase from Blattellager manica, its closest relative in the GenBank database. Some unique features of its conserved region and its distant evolutionary relationship to other insect ${alpha}$-amylases suggest that KME1 is a new type of ${alpha}$-amylase.