queen of safari ants

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Driver Ant Facts

Driver ant profile.

If you’re lucky enough to visit the jungles of Central and East Africa, you may run into some military patrols here and there. But these aren’t human armies, they’re much more populous.

A single of these patrols can contain far more individuals than both active and reserve human military personnel in all countries on earth! Thankfully for us, they’re not very political.

These are Dorylus, more commonly known as driver ants or safari ants, a large genus of army ants, found in Central, Eastern and South Africa and tropical Asia.

Driver Ant Facts Overview

Driver ants are a genus of army ants, so named (supposedly) because of their use by armies as stitches. But the name seems more appropriate as a description of their behaviour; legions of these animals terrorise the forest floor in search of food.

In swahili driver ants can also be called ‘ siafu ‘, and this term can be used by indigenous people to describe a variety of species of ants.

The genus Dorylus is the most aggressive group of ants in the world and contains over 61 species . Like all army ants, colonies will comprise of hierarchical and specialized roles.

There’s worker ants that are usually blind or have limited vision and will carry out a variety of tasks to support the colony. Larger solidier ants have scissor-like mandibles and protect members. There’s one queen who is the largest, and can mate with multiple males. Mating males known as ‘sausage flies’ due to their inflated abdomens are able to fly, and seek out the queen ant to reproduce.

While driver ants are able to sting, they rely on their large cutting jaws to attack anything in their path. They mostly diet on insects, and earthworms – but they can also consume small animals, such as mice, snakes, snakes, birds or anything else that might not move out of their way.

They can also take on prey as big as a large rat or chicken, leave well-marched trails behind them, and are almost continuously on the move.

Move aside Big Five, driver ants are one of the coolest things you’ll see on safari .

Interesting Driver Ant Facts

1. driver ant armies can contain over 50 million individuals.

In the UK or US, the ants you’ll see around make up a colony that is likely to comprise between 5,000 and 8,000 individuals.

Some Myrmica species form colonies as small as just a few hundred members, others like Tetramorium caespitum may reach an impressive 15,000 or even 30,000. Formica rufa colonies can even reach populations of 400,000 members! Perhaps you can see where we’re going with this…

When a driver ant colony goes on a raid, they routinely bring with them up to fifty million individuals. This breathtaking phenomenon can span hundreds of meters, perhaps even kilometres, and contains so many marching feet that it’s audible from standing nearby.

The ants carve a trail through almost any terrain and leave a well-trodden path behind them when they leave.

2. They’re nomadic

These colonies aren’t fixed to a position like most ant species.

Instead, they move around with their brood and their food, and set up temporary subterranean bivouacs; structures built from the very ants themselves, inside which the queen and larvae are protected by walls of interlocked legs and mandibles.

While migrating, they make a new one of these each night and dissolve into raiding patrols the next day.

3. They’re aggressive predators

These raiders fan out across the ground with countless thousands of individuals spread out, looking for food. Driver ants are predators, and as such are not interested in your coke can or fruit.

Instead, they will tackle anything with protein, and once a food source is found, the dispersed individuals gradually collapse into organized channels, encased inside tubes of guard ants, each one raising its enormous jaws to the sky as a warning.

They will attack anything they come across, and while the thick, organised branches of soldiers are relatively easy to spot, if you’re unlucky enough to walk in the grass while they’re fanned out, you’ll be quickly treated to a barrage of bites.

They’re also good at scavenging, and during the rainy season, you may wake up to find them raiding your kitchen for scraps.

Driver ant raids are powerful and efficient and can disappear as quickly as they arrive. Within 45 minutes to an hour, in most cases, they’ve moved on with their loot.

4. They make sausages

Driver ant drones are huge, meaty beasts with fearsome mandibles. They’ll often be heard and seen buzzing around lights at night and crashing into everything. These mandibles, as scary as they look, are totally harmless and are used as claspers for mating.

The thick, cylindrical abdomen on these ants has led to them being referred to as sausage flies.

5. They build bridges

Driver ants are all-terrain animals. They can climb trees, cross water and scale all kinds of walls and cliffs. They do this by creating tunnels and bridges with their bodies.

Huge soldier ants form the outer shell of these channels and the smaller workers use them to pass safely.

6. They have exceptional fecundity

You may wonder how a queen driver ant has time to make all these individuals. It turns out that the queen of Dorylus species may well have the highest lifetime fecundity (breeding ability) of any animal.

Every 25 days, as queen Dorylus wilverthi can lay 3-4 million eggs! They lay almost non-stop throughout their lives and can have up to 15,000 egg-producing ovarioles. A single queen can produce around 250 million eggs in her lifetime. 1

7. Their queens are enormous

As you’d expect from these numbers, she does need to be rather large to do this.

In fact, she’s the largest ant known and can be as large as a small mouse – measuring between 1.5 – 2.4 inches (3.8 – 6 cms) in total body length 

When she dies, her colossal workforce may join forces with another colony, in an act that is known as colony fusion. 2

8. They’ll go to war with other ants

While they are not specialized predators of other ant species, they will go to war with other ants that come into their path. The winner usually has the largest army.

9. They’re a natural pesticide

Due to their nature of carrying off anything that moves, driver ants are, in some cases, considered a useful addition to the area. As long as you keep your toes (and your chickens) away from them, they can clear your farm of pests very efficiently, without harming any of your crops.

They’re also welcome in some houses, as a means to remove snakes, cockroaches and other pests. In some cultures they are collected in a pot in their thousands and released into the grasses that make the roof of the house to remove termites .

On the other hand, some cultures see these raids as a punishment or form of witchcraft. 3

10. They may function as field stitches

It is said that certain communities traditionally use the enormous mandibles of these ants to close wounds, much in the way that surgical staples are used in modern medicine.

This may or may not be true, but it’s not recommended; predators tend to carry with them plenty of nasty bacteria in their mouthparts and don’t practice the same level of oral hygiene as you hopefully do, so injecting those mouthparts into an open wound may not be very sensible.

Driver Ant Fact-File Summary

Scientific classification, fact sources & references.

• HENNING B RUELAND (1995), “ University of Florida Book of Insect Records Chapter 18 Highest Lifetime Fecundity “, University of Bergen.
• Daniel J. C. Kronauer (2010), “ Colony fusion and worker reproduction after queen loss in army ants “, National Library of Medicine.
• Arnold Van Huis (2020), “ Cultural aspects of ants, bees and wasps and their products in sub- Saharan Africa”, Research Square.

The Afrotropical ‘driver ants’ of this genus epitomize the army ant lifestyle, but they represent only a fraction of the diversity of Dorylus. Most species are much less commonly observed, and forage underground or in leaf litter. Hita Garcia, Wiesel and Fischer (2013) - The army ant genus Dorylus is mostly known for the spectacular swarm raids performed by some epigaeic species, mostly belonging to the subgenus Anomma , better known as "driver ants". These species perform huge swarm raids along the ground and lower vegetation with hundreds of thousands of blind, polymorphic workers to hunt down a great variety of prey taxa in large quantities, predominantly invertebrates (Gotwald, 1982, 1995). However, many more species within the genus live and hunt hypogaeicly and these army ants are generally less visible than their epigaeic relatives (Berghoff et al., 2002). Hypogaeic species hunt in columns and many species are known to be specialised predators of other social insects, such as termites or other ants (Darlington, 1985; Gotwald, 1982, 1995; Schöning & Moffett, 2007). Almost all species of Dorylus , like other army ant genera, live in monogynous colonies with dichthadiiform queens that have a massive egg-laying capacity, e.g. three to four million eggs per month in “driver ant” queens (Raignier & van Boven, 1955). In addition, Dorylus colonies migrate in irregular intervals to new nesting sites and new colonies emerge through colony fission (Gotwald, 1982, 1995).

• Photo Gallery

Identification

Borowiec (2016) - Worker The workers of Dorylus are readily recognized by a combination of well-developed promesonotal suture, propodeal spiracle positioned high on the propodeum and lack of propodeal lobes, single waist segment, pygidium large and with a flattened surface and armed with two cuticular projections, and pretarsal claws simple. Other army ants of the Old World, Aenictus and Aenictogiton , are not easily confused with Dorylus as the former always has a well-differentiated second waist segment (postpetiole) and in Aenictogiton the gaster has more developed constrictions between gastral pre- and post-sclerites, resulting in apparent constriction between abdominal segments IV, V, and VI. Yunodorylus is superficially similar but is easily distinguished from all army ants by the propodeal spiracle situated low and presence of propodeal lobes. Among the New World army ants only Cheliomyrmex has one-segmented waist but Cheliomyrmex does not have a promesonotal suture, its pygidium is reduced and never armed with cuticular projections, and its pretarsal claws are armed with a tooth.

Male In general appearance Dorylus males are similar to other army ant genera but possess flattened femora that are much broader and more compressed than the tibiae and tarsi. This trait alone is sufficient to separate them from all other male dorylines, but a combination of single-segmented waist, M·f1 vein of fore wing arising from M+Cu at about 45° and situated near to cu-a, Rs·f2–3 lost, pterostigma narrow and inconspicuous can also be used to recognize Dorylus. The Old World army ant genera Aenictus and Aenictogiton have similar fore wing venation but both have a well-developed and broad pterostigma and the latter has a ‘free-hanging’ Rs·f3 vein. In the New World army ants M·f1 arises at a lower angle and is conspicuously proximal to cu-a, and Rs·f2–3 are present, forming two submarginal cells. Dorylus males also possess unique genital capsule morphology, where a tiny diamond-shaped structure is formed from a fragment of the basimeres and visible dorsally over the aedeagus (‘patella’ of Birket-Smith 1981; Brendon Boudinot pers. comm.). The telomeres in lateral view do not conceal inner valves of the genital capsule as in most dorylines but instead form a characteristic shape of a spiral arm folding first proximally and then projecting distally over the rest of genital capsule thus concealing it from above.

The subgeneric system within this genus is abandoned by Borowiec (2016): "Subgeneric classification is not currently adopted for any other doryline genus, and I propose informal species-groups to be recognized instead of the subgenera (for species known from the worker caste)." These species groups and their respective member species are listed here: Dorylus species groups . The subgenera key to workers, linked to below, includes both the subgeneric names and the species-groups they represent.

Garcia, Wiesel and Fischer (2013) - The taxonomic condition of Dorylus , especially for the African continent, can be classified as chaotic and useless for identification purposes. On a global basis, 59 species and 68 subspecies are recognised (Bolton, 2012), although the taxonomic validity of many of these taxa is highly questionable. The problem is that most descriptions were based on a single caste, and careful examination of taxa in order to find evidence for conspecificity among these is very rare (Schöning et al., 2008). Also, no modern taxonomic revision is available, which dramatically increases the difficulties to identify Dorylus to species level. Nevertheless, identification to subgenus level can be well performed with the keys provided in Gotwald (1982) (and see the previous paragraph).

Keys including this Genus

• Key to Dorylinae World Genera
• Key to Vietnamese Dorylinae Genera
• Key to doryline genera of the Oriental realm

Keys to Subgenera or Species Groups in this Genus

• Key to Dorylus subgenera Males
• Key to Dorylus subgenera Queens
• Key to Dorylus subgenera workers

Keys to Species in this Genus

• Dorylus of Gorongosa

Afrotropical species

List of Afrotropical species by caste , with images for the worker caste

Distribution

‘’Dorylus’’ ranges from Sub-Saharan Africa throughout North Africa and Asia Minor to Borneo in Southeast Asia. The Afrotropics harbor the highest number of species and are the home of the surface- and leaf litter-foraging species. (Borowiec 2016)

Distribution and Richness based on AntMaps

Species by region.

Number of species within biogeographic regions, along with the total number of species for each region.

Borowiec (2016) - Because some species of this lineage are so conspicuous and are the most important arthropod predators of the Afrotropics, this group has attracted considerable attention.

The best studied species include the Afrotropical species that forage above ground (Raignier and Boven 1955, Raignier 1972, Gotwald 1995), but one subterranean species, Dorylus laevigatus has been the subject of some work (Berghoff et al. 2002a,b, 2003a,b, Weissflog et al. 2000). Good overviews of Dorylus biology can be found in Raignier and Boven (1955) and Gotwald (1995). The surface- and leaf litter-foraging species have been collectively referred to as ‘driver ants’ (Savage 1847), and traditionally classified in the polyphyletic subgenus Anomma (see Taxonomy and phylogeny above). Here I follow this convention and use the terms ‘driver ants’ and ‘surface-‘ or ’epigaeically-foraging species’ interchangeably.

The life cycle of Dorylus colony is similar to that of Eciton and many other army ants but there are no pronounced nomadic and statary phases. The brood production is not synchronized (Gotwald 1995, Schöning et al. 2005b), and the colonies move from old to new nesting sites at irregular intervals (Gotwald and Cunningham van Sommeren 1990, Schöning et al. 2005b). A mature colony will produce about a dozen virgin queens and eventually undergo fission. About half of the worker force will depart with the old, fertilized queen, while the other half will remain with the virgin queens. Ultimately, all except one of the new queens are cannibalized (Raignier 1972). The new colony does not produce sexual brood until the workers mothered by the old queen have died (Kronauer et al. 2004).

Reproduction

Copulation in Dorylus has been observed only once (Kronauer and Boomsma 2007a). Males collected at lights and two inseminated queens from established Dorylus moestus bivouacs were coupled under laboratory conditions. The male first uses his sickle-shaped mandibles to grasp the queen behind her petiole and performs bending movements, searching the tip of the queen’s abdomen. Once engaged, the pairs remained in copulation for five to ten hours. After this period, the male relaxes his grip on queen’s petiole but remains connected to the queen. Twenty hours after the copulations, the two pairs were killed and dissected, both males remaining attached to the queens. The males apparently succeeded in transferring sperm to the queens, and the dissections confirmed that the male accessory testes were empty after the copulations. Despite these observations, Kronauer and Boomsma (2007a) find little evidence for army ant queens re-mating later in life and point out that the males were not attracted to old queens in most trials.

The reproductive potential of Dorylus queens is impressive, at least in the surface-foraging species studied thus far. The queen mates between 15–20 times (Kronauer et al. 2004, 2006) early in her life and stores up to 880 million spermatozoa (Kronauer and Boomsma 2007a). A Dorylus wilverthi queen can produce an estimated 3–4 million eggs per month, for a total over 250 million eggs during her lifetime (Raignier and Boven 1955, Kronauer and Boomsma 2007b). This is even more than Eciton queens (see under Eciton ; Schneirla 1971, Kronauer and Boomsma 2007b).

Nesting Habits

These army ants always occupy subterranean nests, either constructed by excavating large amounts of soil and/or taking advantage of a preexisting cavity (Schöning et al. 2005b, Boven and Lévieux 1968). Because of these underground habits, colony size estimates are rare. A single excavated colony of Dorylus laevigatus contained about 300,000 workers (Berghoff et al. 2002), and estimates of colony size for the surface foragers Dorylus nigricans and Dorylus wilverthi range from 1 million to over 20 million workers (Voessler 1905, Raignier and Boven 1955). The dry mass of Dorylus nigricans colonies has been estimated to be 9–15 kg (Leroux 1982). The underground nests of Dorylus are quite different from the above-ground bivouacs of Eciton (Gotwald 1995). Raignier and Boven (1955) categorized them as either occupying a single large chamber or dispersed among subterranean galleries and chambers. The first type is exemplified by D. wilverthi and the second by D. nigricans . Both nest types are often found among root systems of trees. These ants actively excavate soil and one estimate gives 20 kg of soil per day removed in the first week of a D. nigricans colony settling into a new site (Leroux 1977).

Dorylus emigrate irregularly and the colony often returns to the same nesting spot. Gotwald and Cunningham van Sommeren (1990) followed a single colony of Dorylus moestus for 432 days and observed 38 emigrations during that time, spanning an area of about 5 hectares. One colony of D. nigricans has been recorded to remain in one bivouac site for 125 consecutive days (Raignier and Boven 1955). The adaptive significance of the cycles in brood production and colony activity remains unclear, but it phasic species of Aenictus , Eciton , and other New World army ants rely heavily on brood of other social insects, Dorylus are more generalist (Gotwald 1995).

Dorylus gynes may or may not be able to move on their own during nest emigration. All queen specimens known so far are missing tarsal segments (Raignier 1972, Berghoff et al. 2002), so that they are assisted to a new site by the entourage of workers (Berghoff et al. 2002). Raignier (1972) observed missing tarsal segments in very young queens of D. nigricans , prior to their first emigration. The causes and significance of this tarsal mutilation are not known.

Foraging/Diet

A diversity of foraging habits and prey preferences has been documented for Dorylus (Gotwald 1995). According to the most popular classification (Schöning et al. 2005a, Kronauer et al. 2007), three major foraging strategies can be distinguished: subterranean, leaf litter, or surface foragers. The surface-swarming driver ants are generalist predators that will take any kind of prey, ranging from immatures of other insects to vertebrate carrion (Schöning and Moffett 2007). Seasonal, habitat, and intraspecific differences can be seen in prey composition and intake in these ants, but the proportion of social insect prey is small (Schöning et al. 2008). This is in contrast to Eciton burchellii , whose diet is general but it still relies heavily on this kind of prey (Rettenmeyer 1963). The few subterranean species of Dorylys that have been studied have also been recorded to be generalist predators but additionally often feeding on termites (Darlington 1985, Berghoff et al. 2002). Dorylus orientalis is recognized as a vegetable crop pest, apparently being mainly or exclusively herbivorous (Roonwal 1975). Variation in foraging can also be seen within the general foraging strategies. Schöning et al. (2008) reported that two surface-swarming species, Dorylus wilverthi and D. moestus , differ in their diets and raiding behavior. Dorylus moestus is often seen capturing earthworms and exhibits digging behavior, while earthworms are rarely a major component of the diet for D. wilverthi , whose workers have not been observed digging. Two sympatric, subterranean species of Dorylus from Asia have also been compared and shown to differ in their foraging behavior and prey preference (Berghoff et al. 2003).

Kronauer et al. (2007) used molecular phylogenetics and ancestral state reconstruction to address the evolution of the foraging niche in Dorylus . They categorized species as either subterranean, leaf litter, or surface foragers and inferred that subterranean foraging was the ancestral state for the genus. Both surface and leaf litter foraging strategies likely evolved once within Dorylus . The descendants of a leaf litter-dwelling ancestor gave rise to both surface foragers and species that reverted to subterranean foraging. An earlier study (Schöning et al. 2005a) showed how allometry in the worker caste is correlated with the foraging niche, although the authors did not examine this in a phylogenetic framework (Felsenstein 1985). These authors demonstrated that surface-adapted species possess appendages and mandibles that are longer relatively to their body size than in the leaf-litter and in the subterranean foragers. Kronauer et al. (2007) further assessed allometry in the context of Dorylus phylogeny and concluded that the species that reverted to underground foraging re-evolved morphology similar to the ancestral, short-limbed condition.

A variety of other research has been carried out on Dorylus , but most of these studies are isolated in nature. Kronauer et al. (2011) documented significant amounts of hybridization between the driver ants D. wilverthi and D. moestus , and Barth et al. (2013) undertook a population genetics study on Dorylus fulvus .

Association with Other Organisms

Similarly to New World army ants, Dorylus colonies have numerous invertebrate and vertebrate associates, although these companion faunas are not as well described (Gotwald 1995). Remarkably, the foragers of African driver ants are followed by several species of birds specializing on prey flushed by the ants, much like the swarms of Eciton burchellii in the New World (Peters et al. 2008). Other vertebrates, such as chimpanzees are known to rely on Dorylus for food (Kingdon 1997, Schöning et al. 2007, Sanz et al. 2010). Because the apes utilize sticks and plant stems to extract the ants, this is an important study system in the primate culture and tool use (Humle 2011).

Unknown species of Dorylus are involved in the following associations:

• An unknown species is a associate (details unknown) for the  fungus   Verticillium nodulosum  (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
• An unknown species is a associate (details unknown) for the  phorid fly   Aenigmatopoeus cucullatus  (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
• An unknown species is a associate (details unknown) for the  phorid fly   Hexacantherophora cohabitans  (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
• An unknown species is a associate (details unknown) for the  phorid fly   Psyllomyia patrizii  (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
• An unknown species is a host for the  fungus   Akanthomyces gracilis  (a parasitoid ) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
• An unknown species is a host for the  fungus   Polycephalomyces cylInd.rosporus  (a parasitoid ) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
• An unknown species is a prey for the  phorid fly   Dohrniphora diminuens  (a predator) (Quevillon, 2018).

All Associate Records for Genus

Life history traits.

• Mean colony size: 100000's-1000000+ (Greer et al., 2021)
• Compound colony type: not parasitic (Greer et al., 2021)
• Nest site: hypogaeic (Greer et al., 2021)
• Diet class: predator (Greer et al., 2021)
• Foraging stratum: subterranean/leaf litter (Greer et al., 2021)
• Foraging behaviour: cooperative (Greer et al., 2021)

Worker Morphology

• Antennal segment count: 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 • Antennal club: absent-gradual • Palp formula: 2,2; 1,2 • Total dental count: 1-8(0-7) • Spur formula: 1 pectinate, 1 pectinate • Eyes: 0-1 ommatidia • Scrobes: absent • Pronotal Spines: absent • Mesonotal Spines: absent • Propodeal Spines: absent • Petiolar Spines: absent • Caste: polymorphic • Sting: present • Metaplural Gland: present • Cocoon: absent

See Phylogeny of Dorylinae for details.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World .

• Dorylus Fabricius, 1793: 365. Type-species: Vespa helvola , by monotypy.

Borowiec (2016) - The long and confusing taxonomic history of the genus begins with a male ant from South Africa, described as Vespa helvola by Linnaeus in 1764. Later Fabricius (1793) created the genus Dorylus for that species. Similarly to Aenictus , for a time the males and females were known under different generic names, with Dorylus being applied to males and Anomma and Typhlopone to the workers. 85 years after the original description of Vespa helvola , T. S. Savage observed males and workers together in the field and recognized that they belonged to one species (Savage 1849). A very readable overview of the early taxonomic history of Dorylus can be found in Gotwald (1995:13). The modern subgeneric division of Dorylus was stabilized by Emery (1895b, 1910). This classification has come under scrutiny using molecular data in the recent decades, and two of the most speciose subgenera of Dorylus , Anomma and Dorylus s. str. were found to be not monophyletic (Kronauer et al. 2007). Because of these phylogenetic considerations, also backed up by morphological study (Caspar Schöning pers. comm.), I propose to abandon the traditional subgeneric classification. Although the surface-foraging (as opposed to leaf litter) species of Anomma species form a clade and it is even possible to differentiate it based on apomorphic morphological characters from other Dorylus (Schöning et al. in preparation), recognizing Anomma would likely leave the large Dorylus s. str. paraphyletic. Other Dorylus subgenera are likely monophyletic (Kronauer et al. 2007). Subgeneric classification is not currently adopted for any other doryline genus, and I propose informal species-groups to be recognized instead of the subgenera (for species known from the worker caste). Dorylus species groups

Dorylus is the sister taxon to Aenictogiton (Brady et al. 2006, 2014, Borowiec, in prep.). As explained above, the internal phylogeny of the genus (Kronauer et al. 2007) shows that the subgenera Anomma and Dorylus as they were traditionally defined are not monophyletic. The Asian species Dorylus laevigatus represents the earliest-branching lineage of the genus. The time-calibrated phylogeny of Kronauer et al. (2007) estimated crown group age of Dorylus to be between 30 and 64 million years, but more recent studies suggest much younger ages at about 22 million years (Brady et al. 2014) or even younger than 20 million years (Borowiec, in prep.).

Description

Borowiec (2016) - Head: Antennae with 8, 9, 11, or 12 segments. Apical antennal segment not enlarged, not broader and longer than two preceding segments combined. Clypeus without cuticular apron. Lateroclypeal teeth absent. Parafrontal ridges absent. Torulo-posttorular complex vertical. Antennal scrobes absent. Labrum without median notch or concavity. Labrum with median notch or concavity. Proximal face of stipes projecting beyond inner margin of sclerite, concealing prementum when mouthparts fully closed. Maxillary palps 2- or 1-segmented. Labial palps 2-segmented. Mandibles elongately triangular to falcate, with teeth on elongated masticatory margin. Eyes absent. Ocelli absent. Head capsule with differentiated vertical posterior surface above occipital foramen. Ventrolateral margins of head without lamella or ridge extending towards mandibles and beyond carina surrounding occipital foramen. Posterior head corners dorsolaterally immarginate. Carina surrounding occipital foramen entirely absent, including ventrally. Mesosoma: Pronotal flange not separated from collar by distinct ridge. Promesonotal connection with suture conspicuous and complete, but immobile. Pronotomesopleural suture complete, continuous with promesonotal suture. Mesometapleural groove deeply impressed, conspicuous. Transverse groove dividing mesopleuron absent. Pleural endophragmal pit concavity present. Mesosoma dorsolaterally immarginate. Metanotal depression or groove on mesosoma absent. Propodeal spiracle situated high on sclerite. Propodeal declivity without distinct dorsal edge or margin and rectangular in posterior view. Metapleural gland with bulla visible through cuticle in smaller workers, mostly obscured in large workers. Propodeal lobes absent. Metasoma: Petiole anterodorsally immarginate, dorsolaterally immarginate, and laterally above spiracle immarginate. Helcium in relation to tergosternal suture placed at posttergite and axial. Prora forming a simple U-shaped margin. Spiracle openings of abdominal segments IV–VI circular. Abdominal segment III anterodorsally immarginate and dorsolaterally immarginate. Abdominal segment III more than half size of succeeding segment IV, which is weakly constricted at presegmental portion (uninodal waist). Girdling constriction of segment IV present, i.e. pre- and postsclerites distinct. Cinctus of abdominal segment IV gutter-like and sculptured but not cross-ribbed. Abdominal segment IV not conspicuously largest segment. Abdominal tergite IV not folding over sternite, and anterior portions of sternite and tergite equally well visible in lateral view. Girdling constriction between pre- and posttergites of abdominal segments V and VI present. Girdling constriction between pre- and poststernites of abdominal segments V and VI present. Pygidium large, with impressed medial field, and armed with cuticular spines. Hypopygium unarmed. Legs: Mid tibia with single pectinate spur. Hind tibia with single pectinate spur. Hind basitarsus not widening distally, circular in cross-section. Posterior flange of hind coxa not produced as raised lamella. Metatibial gland present as oval patch of whitish cuticle. Metabasitarsal gland absent. Hind pretarsal claws simple. Polymorphism: Highly polymorphic.

Dichthadiiform, blind, with median ocellus (see e.g. Barr et al. 1985).

Head: Antennae with 13 segments. Clypeus without cuticular apron. Parafrontal ridges absent. Torulo-posttorular complex vertical, carinae separated by broad flat or convex area between exposed antennal sockets. Maxillary palps 2- or 1-segmented. Labial palps 1-segmented. Mandibles falcate. Ventrolateral margins of head without lamella or ridge extending towards mandibles and beyond carina surrounding occipital foramen. Carina surrounding occipital foramen ventrally absent. Mesosoma: Pronotal flange not separated from collar by distinct ridge. Notauli absent. Transverse groove dividing mesopleuron absent. Propodeal declivity reduced, without distinct dorsal edge or margin. Metapleural gland opening absent. Propodeal lobes absent. Metasoma: Petiole anterodorsally immarginate, dorsolaterally immarginate, and laterally above spiracle immarginate. Helcium in relation to tergosternal suture placed at posttergite and axial. Prora simple, not delimited by carina. Spiracle openings of abdominal segments IV–VI slit-shaped. Abdominal segment III more than half size of succeeding segment IV; latter weakly constricted at presegmental portion (uninodal waist). Girdling constriction of segment IV absent, i.e. pre- and postsclerites indistinct. Cinctus of abdominal segment IV absent, not impressed. Girdling constriction between pre- and postsclerites of abdominal segments V and VI absent. Abdominal segment IV not conspicuously largest segment. Abdominal sternite VII simple. Abdominal sternite IX distally armed with two spines, with lateral apodemes short, directed sideways. Genitalia: Cupula short relative to rest of genital capsule and shorter ventrally than dorsally. Basimere fused basally, with a fragment reduced to tiny, plate-like sclerite. Telomere folding backwards and then over rest of genital capsule, concealing it dorsally. Volsella gradually tapering toward apex. Penisvalva laterally compressed, rounded at apex. Legs: Mid tibia with single pectinate spur. Hind tibia with single pectinate spur. Posterior flange of hind coxa not produced as raised lamella. Metatibial gland absent. Metabasitarsal glands absent. Hind pretarsal claws simple. Wings: Tegula present, broad, demiovate in shape. Vein C in fore wing present. Pterostigma narrow. Abscissa R·f3 absent. Abscissae Rs·f2–3 absent. Cross-vein 2r-rs present, connected to Rs·f2–3&Rs·f4. Abscissae Rs·f4–5 differentiated into Rs·f4 and Rs·f5 by 2rs-m. Abscissa M·f2 in fore wing contiguous with Rs+M. Abscissa M·f4 in fore wing present, reaching wing margin. Cross-vein 1m-cu in fore wing present. Cross-vein cu-a in fore wing present, arising from Cu and distal to, at or near M·f1. Vein Cu in fore wing present, with only Cu1 branch prominent. Vein Cu in fore wing present, with both branches Cu1 and Cu2. Vein A in fore wing with abscissae A·f1 and A·f2 present. Vein C in hind wing unknown. Vein C in hind wing present. Vein R in hind wing present, extending past Sc+R but not reaching distal wing margin. Vein Sc+R in hind wing present. Abscissa Rs·f1 in hind wing present, shorter than 1rs-m. Abscissa Rs·f2 in hind wing present, not reaching wing margin. Cross-vein 1rs-m in hind wing present, shorter than M·f1. Vein M+Cu in hind wing present. Abscissa M·f1 in hind wing present. Abscissa M·f2 in hind wing present. Cross-vein cu-a in hind wing present. Vein Cu in hind wing present. Vein A in hind wing with abscissae A·f1 and A·f2 present.

Larvae of Dorylus have been described in Wheeler (1943) and Wheeler and Wheeler (1984). Cocoons are absent.

• Borowiec, M.L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1-280 (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.608.9427 ).
• Arnold, G. 1915. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part I. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 1-159 (page 113, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Ashmead, W. H. 1905c. A skeleton of a new arrangement of the families, subfamilies, tribes and genera of the ants, or the superfamily Formicoidea. Can. Entomol. 37: 381-384 (page 381, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Beutel, R.G., Richter, A., Keller, R.A., Hita Garcia, F., Matsumura, Y., Economo, E.P., Gorb, S.N. 2020. Distal leg structures of the Aculeata (Hymenoptera): A comparative evolutionary study of (Sphecidae) and (Formicidae). Journal of Morphology 281, 737–753 (doi: 10.1002/JMOR.21133 ).
• Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 148, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Borowiec, M.L. 2019. Convergent evolution of the army ant syndrome and congruence in big-data phylogenetics. Systematic Biology 68, 642–656 (doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syy088 ).
• Brassard, F., Leong, C.-M., Chan, H.-H., Guénard, B. 2021. High diversity in urban areas: How comprehensive sampling reveals high ant species richness within one of the most urbanized regions of the world. Diversity 13, 358 (doi: 10.3390/d13080358 ).
• Burchill, A.T., Moreau, C.S. 2016. Colony size evolution in ants: macroevolutionary trends. Insectes Sociaux 63, 291–298 (doi: 10.1007/s00040-016-0465-3 ).
• Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 9, Dorylus in Dorylinae)
• Eguchi, K., Bui, V.T., Oguri, E., Maruyama, M. & Yamane, S. 2014. A new data of worker polymorphism in the ant genus Dorylus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae). Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 17, 31–36.
• Emery, C. 1895l. Die Gattung Dorylus Fab. und die systematische Eintheilung der Formiciden. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 8: 685-778 (page 764, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini [Dorylii])
• Emery, C. 1910b. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Dorylinae. Genera Insectorum 102: 1-34 (page 5, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Fabricius, J. C. 1793. Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta. Secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonimis, locis observationibus, descriptionibus. Tome 2. Hafniae [= Copenhagen]: C. G. Proft, 519 pp. (page 365, Dorylus as genus)
• Forel, A. 1878c. Études myrmécologiques en 1878 (première partie) avec l'anatomie du gésier des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 15: 337-392 (page 365, Dorylus in Dorylinae [Dorylidae])
• Forel, A. 1893b. Sur la classification de la famille des Formicides, avec remarques synonymiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 37: 161-167 (page 163, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Forel, A. 1917. Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 51: 229-253 (page 239, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Funaro, C.F., Kronauer, D.J.C., Moreau, C.S., Goldman-Huertas, B., Pierce, N.E., Russell, J.A. 2011. Army Ants harbor a host-specific clade of Entomoplasmatales bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77, 346–350 (doi: 10.1128/aem.01896-10 ).
• Gotwald, W. H., Jr. 1982. Army ants. Pp. 157-254 in: Hermann, H. R. (ed.) Social insects. Volume 4. New York: Academic Press, 385 pp. (page 157, Dorylus subgenera key)
• Hita Garcia, F.; Wiesel, E.; Fischer, G. 2013. The ants of Kenya (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - faunal overview, first species checklist, bibliography, accounts for all genera, and discussion on taxonomy and zoogeography. Journal of East African Natural History 101:127-222. DOI: 10.2982/028.101.0201
• Kronauer, D. J. C.; Schöning, C.; Vilhelmsen, L. B.; Boomsma, J. J. 2007. A molecular phylogeny of Dorylus army ants provides evidence for multiple evolutionary transitions in foraging niche. BMC Evolutionary Biology 7: Article 56 (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-7-56).
• Leach, W. E. 1815. Entomology. Pp. 57-172 in: Brewster, D. (ed.) The Edinburgh encyclopedia. Volume 9. Edinburgh. (page 147, Dorylus in Dorylidae [Dorylida])
• Mayr, G. 1865. Formicidae. In: Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte "Novara" um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. Zoologischer Theil. Bd. II. Abt. 1. Wien: K. Gerold's Sohn, 119 pp. (page 17, Dorylus in Dorylinae [Dorylidae])
• Richter, A., Boudinot, B., Yamamoto, S., Katzke, J., Beutel, R. G. 2022. The first reconstruction of the head anatomy of a Cretaceous insect, † Gerontoformica gracilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and the early evolution of ants. Insect Systematics and Diversity 6(5): 1-80 (doi: 10.1093/isd/ixac013 ).
• Shuckard, W. E. 1840b. Monograph of the Dorylidae, a family of the Hymenoptera Heterogyna. (Continued from p. 201.). Ann. Nat. Hist. 5: 258-271 (page 268, Dorylus in Dorylidae)
• Smith, F. 1859c. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VII. Dorylidae and Thynnidae. London: British Museum, 76 pp. (page 1, Dorylus in Dorylidae)
• Smith, F. 1871a. A catalogue of the Aculeate Hymenoptera and Ichneumonidae of India and the Eastern Archipelago. With introductory remarks by A. R. Wallace. [part]. J. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 11: 285-348 (page 335, Dorylus in Dorylidae)
• Wheeler, W. M. 1910b. Ants: their structure, development and behavior. New York: Columbia University Press, xxv + 663 pp. (page 137, Dorylus in Dorylinae, Dorylini)
• Wilson, E. O. 1964a. The true army ants of the Indo-Australian area (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae). Pac. Insects 6: 427-483 (page 436, Subgenera of Dorylus; Alaopone, Anomma, Cosmacetes (junior synonym of Typhlopone), Dichthadia, Rhogmus, Shuckardia (junior synonym of Annoma), Typhlopone. Key to Indo-Australian species)
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12 Fun Facts About Driver Ants (Siafu)

By: Author factopolis

Last Reviewed and Updated on February 21, 2023

Driver ants are one of the world’s largest, most powerful ants. Their powerful jaws can break up almost anything that crosses their path. Get to know these amazing insects a little better, from the basic information about them to some of the most interesting facts about driver ants.

About Driver Ants

Driver ants, scientifically known as Dorylus , are a genus of army ants that are commonly found in central and east Africa and tropical Asia. Other common names for driver ants are safari ants and siafu.

There are 61 described species of driver ants.

Driver ants live in large colonies which can contain over 20 million individuals. The colony is a highly organized society with a complex social structure.; it is made up of different castes, including workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals, each with their own specialized roles and responsibilities.

The workers are the most numerous members of the colony, and they are responsible for tasks such as foraging for food, caring for the young, and maintaining the nest.

The soldiers are larger and more heavily armored than the workers, and their primary function is to protect the colony from threats.

The queen is much larger than the other ants in the colony and can lay over a million eggs per month. Reproductive males leave the colony soon after hatching and go in search of a queen to mate with in another colony when they reach sexual maturity.

Driver ants have a diverse diet that includes a wide range of insects and other invertebrates. They are known for their aggressive foraging behavior, which allows them to capture and consume a large number of prey species.

Interesting Facts About Driver Ants

Ready to learn some interesting facts about driver ants? Read on!

1. They often move their colony and don’t have permanent nests

Ants are a diverse group of insects, and the way they build their nests vary depending on the species. However, most ants build nests that are permanent, at least for a longer period of time (some for several years or decades).

Driver ants move their entire colony to a new location frequently, from a couple of days to three months. These ants are nomadic. They are in constant search of food, and once they deplete all resources at their location, they move on.

2. Driver ants also build bivouacs, structures built with their bodies

Apart from excavating subterranean nests, they can also make bivouacs. Bivouac is a nest constructed out of living ant workers. Why build a nest in the ground today if you will move to a new location tomorrow? Worker ants link their bodies, creating a massive structure that protects the queen and larvae.

Once it is time to move, the structure dissolves, and worker ants that were the building blocks of these bivouacs continue with their lives.

3. Driver ants can form marching columns of over 50 million individuals (feet)

Once they move, they move in style. While some species of driver ants move their colonies underground, many form long marching columns that can have over 50 million individual ants. This can be both an impressive and intimidating sight, as these columns can be dozens of meters long. They move at a pace of about 20 meters per hour.

The columns are arranged in a way where worker ants are at the center of the column, and soldier ants flank them, fiercely defending the colony against anything that might attack them.

Worker ants usually carry the driver ant queen to the new nest location.

4. They are considered great at pest control

When they are marching, they eat everything on their way. While this is slightly terrifying as “everything” can potentially include a human that, for some reason, wouldn’t be able to move away (which is extremely unlikely), they are considered beneficial to certain farming communities as they eat up the majority of crop pests on fields.

5. Driver ant queens are the largest known living ants

Driver ant queens are massive. The largest ones measure between 1.5 to 2.4 inches / 4 to 6.3 centimeters making them the largest known living ants.

6. Workers and soldiers are all sterile females

The workers and soldiers are sterile. This means they are not able to reproduce and do not have functional reproductive organs. Instead, their primary role is to support the colony

7. Only male driver ants have compound eyes

Workers, soldiers, and queens are blind and don’t have eyes. They communicate and navigate through pheromones.

Only the male driver ant has developed compound eyes ( source ; Anatomy and evolution of the head of Dorylus helvolus (Formicidae: Dorylinae) by B. E. Boudinot, O. T. D. Moosdorf, R. G. Beutel, A. Richter).

8. Males are sometimes called “sausage flies”

Male driver ants are sometimes called “sausage flies” due to their appearance. Males have elongated bloated abdomens and large wings, giving them a distinctive sausage-like shape

Fun fact: they were once believed to be a separate species.

9. Only males grow wings; queens do not grow wings

In most ant species, both the male and the queen ant are born with wings. Driver ants, well, all army ants, are an exception as only the male grows wings.

10. When a male encounters a colony, the ants tear off his wings and carry him to the queen

The male doesn’t get to keep his wings. When the colony spots the male, they tear off his wings and carry him back to the nest, where he will mate with a young virgin queen. Soon after mating, the male will die.

11. If the queen dies, the colony will merge with another colony

Driver ant colonies only have one queen. When she dies, the colony will attempt to merge with another colony of driver ants.

12. Soldier driver ants are used as emergency sutures in East Africa

Last but not least on our list of facts about driver ants is a medical one. Their pinch is so strong it can be used to stitch wounds; this practice was more common in the past, but it can still be used today as a last resource.

How? Hold the skin together, bring the ant next to it, and wait for it to bite down. Remove the body, and the head will stay in place for days.

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Driver Ants

The amazing dorylus driver ant.

Colonies of dorylus driver ant's can grow to 6,000,000 strong. This type of ant splits their trails up to resemble a tree. They are varacious predators, their main tactic is to overwhelm their prey with numbers, i would guess maybe 100 ants on any prey exseading 1 inch in length. Now what's very interesting is that they build the tunnels and chambers of their nests out of their own bodies, and that they don't have eyes instead they use chemical trails secreated from the dufour's gland located near the anus by other nestmates. I leave the rest of the article for people to write about this amazing ant.

Diagnostic Description

Workers small or of medium size, without eyes or ocelli, highly polymorphic, constituting a series of forms which may be grouped as maximae, or soldiers, mediae and minimae. In the maxima the head is very large and usually broader in front than behind, the mandibles are long and narrow, with a small number of teeth on the inner border, the clypeus is very short and not marked off from the remainder of the head by sutures. Frontal carinae very short, erect, close together, not concealing the insertions of the antennae. Antennae short, inserted very near the mouth, 9- to 12- jointed, according to the species. Mediae smaller, with much smaller and shorter head, but the latter not narrowed in front; anterior border of clypeus more or less projecting in the middle over the mouth. Antennae as in the maxima. Minima very small, with the head narrowed anteriorly and the anterior border of the clypeus strongly projecting in the middle. Number of antennal joints reduced, seven being the minimum. Promesonotal suture distinct in all three forms of worker; mesoepinotal suture obsolete. Epinotum always unarmed. Petiole nodiform; postpetiole narrowed anteriorly, not or only indistinctly separated from the first gastric segment. Pygidium with a dorsal impression and terminating in three points. Posterior tibiae each with a pectinated spur.

Female very much larger than the worker, dichthadiiform, i. e. wingless, with long and voluminous abdomen. The head has the occipital lobes swollen and rounded, separated by a median longitudinal furrow. Eyes and ocelli absent, as in the workers. Clypeus as in the worker maxima, or soldier. Mandibles narrow, edentate. Antennae 11-jointed (12-jointed in the subgenus Dichthadia ). Thorax segmented, but the mesonotum without differentiated scutum and scutellum; alar insertions vestigial. Petiole large, its posterior corners prolonged as blunt points. Postpetiole shorter than the first gastric segment, but not followed by a constriction. Pygidium and hypopygium gaping or separated so as to expose to view the eighth pair of abdominal spiracles, the anal segment and sting; the pygidium not impressed; the hypopygium surpassing the pygidium considerably and terminating in two lobes or appendages.

Male very large, with very large eyes and ocelli. Clypeus short, prolonged backward between the short, diverging frontal carinae. Mandibles edentate. Antennae 13-jointed; scape one-third or one-fourth as long as the funiculus which is filiform. Legs short; femora flattened, tibiae narrow. Wings with narrow, poorly defined pterostigma, placed near the apical third; radial cell elongate and open; one closed cubital cell, usually one recurrent nervure (two in the subgenus Rhogmus and in some anomalies). Petiole nodiform or saucer-shaped, its concavity turned toward the postpetiole, the latter not separated from the gaster by a constriction. Gaster long, cylindrical or club-shaped. Pygidium rounded or split at the posterior border ( Rhogmus fimbriatus ). Genital armature voluminous, completely retractile; annular lamina narrow; stipes and volsella simple; lacinia absent; subgenital plate deeply furcate.

Emery, who has devoted much careful study to the Dorylinae, divides Dorylus into six subgenera ( Dorylus , sensu stricto; Dichthadia , Gerstaecker; Anomma , Shuckard; Typhlopone Westwood ; Rhogmus Shuckard; Alaopone Emery) mainly on the number of antennal joints and structure of the pygidium in the worker, the number of antennal joints and shape of the hypopygium in the female, and the shape of the; mandibles and petiole in the male. The genus (Map 4) occurs throughout Africa, India, Indochina, the Malayan Region, and Indonesia (Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and Celebes). All but one of the subgenera and most of the species are found in Africa; in Asia there are less than half a dozen species belonging to the subgenera Dichthadia , Typhlopone , and Alaopone .

In the 'Genera Insectorum' (Dorylinae, 1910, p. 7) Emery makes the following statement on the ethology of the genus Dorylus:Apart from the subgenus Anomma all the species of Dorylus lead a subterranean life and come to the surface of the soil only on exceptional occasions, as, e. g., during inundations or in order to accompany the males when they take flight. Their societies are very populous. The soldiers and workers make subterranean expeditions for the. purpose of capturing insects and other small animals, and exploit manure piles, cadavers and probably also the nests of termites. The males come to lights at night. Search for the heavy and voluminous apterous females is beset with difficulties so that they are rare in collections. It may be noted that in all the specimens hitherto described, with the exception of the female of D. fimbriatus described by Brauns, the terminal tarsal joints are lacking. I infer that the workers tear them off durin g the underground forays, while they are dragging the colossal queen by all her legs through the narrow galleries.

Dorylus ( German )

Dorylus ist eine Gattung der Ameisen . Es handelt sich um die einzige Gattung der Unterfamilie Dorylinae . Sie gehört zu den Wanderameisen (Dorylomorpha). In ihrer Ökologie und Lebensweise entspricht sie in der Alten Welt den Arten der Unterfamilie Ecitoninae in Amerika. Die Dorylus -Arten werden als Heeres- oder Treiberameisen bezeichnet (auf Englisch Driver Ants, Siafu auf Swahili [1] ). Den Namen Treiberameisen erhielten sie nach den Arten der Untergattung Anomma , die ihre fliehende Beute auf einer breiten Front vor sich herzutreiben scheinen.

Die Gattung Dorylus umfasst mit Dorylus wilverthi die größten Ameisen überhaupt [2] , die Königinnen erreichen 52 Millimeter Körperlänge, als auch die größten bekannten Insektenstaaten mit mehr als 20 Millionen Arbeiterinnen pro Volk [3] .

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1.1 Arbeiterinnen
• 1.2 Königinnen
• 1.3 Männchen
• 2 Lebensweise
• 3 Systematik
• 4 Verbreitung
• 5.1 Ameisenvögel
• 6 Volksmedizinische Verwendung
• 7 Literatur
• 8 Einzelnachweise

Beschreibung

Die Gattung Dorylus ist gekennzeichnet durch einen eingliedrigen, knotenförmigen Petiolus . Ein abgeschnürter Postpetiolus ist nicht ausgebildet, dadurch sind sie leicht von der verwandten Gattung Aenictus zu unterscheiden. Typisch ist auch die Ausbildung des Clypeus am Kopf. Dieser ist bei den Männchen extrem verkürzt, bei Königinnen und Arbeiterinnen ganz fehlend. Dadurch ist die Einlenkung der Antennen unmittelbar an den Vorderrand der Kopfkapsel gerückt. Die Frontalkiele sind sehr kurz, auch die Antennen sind in der Regel auffallend verkürzt. Sie bestehen je nach Art aus neun bis zwölf Gliedern.

Arbeiterinnen

Die Arbeiterinnen besitzen zylindrische Körpergestalt mit sehr großem Kopf. Sowohl Ocellen wie auch Komplexaugen fehlen vollständig. Die Tiere sind aber vermutlich nicht völlig blind, sondern können mit einem Hautlichtsinn zumindest Hell und Dunkel unterscheiden. Von den Mundwerkzeugen sind die Mandibeln verlängert und mehr oder weniger sichelförmig mit parallelem Innen- und Außenrand, d. h. Basalrand und Vorderrand (Kauleiste) gehen ohne Absatz ineinander über. Sie stellen die hauptsächlichen Waffen für den räuberischen Nahrungserwerb dar und sind ohne weiteres in der Lage, auch die menschliche Haut zu durchdringen. Die Mandibeln tragen einen scharfen, sichelförmigen Zahn an der Spitze und meist einen weiteren, auffallend vergrößerten Zahn in der Mitte (subapikal), dieser ist aber je nach Art und Größenform variabel. Zusätzlich sind mehrere kleine Zähnchen vorhanden. Die Palpen von Maxillen und Labium sind nur zweigliedrig (Ausnahme: Dorylus orientalis mit eingliedrigen Maxillarpalpen) und gegenüber den meisten anderen Ameisen auffallend kurz. Das Labrum ist nicht, wie bei sonst fast allen Ameisen, in der Mitte durch eine Aussparung eingeschnitten, sondern gleichmäßig verrundet. Am Rumpf ist die Naht zwischen Pronotum und Mesopleuren deutlich erkennbar, aber durch eine schmale bandförmige Zone immobil fixiert. An den Hinterecken des Propodeums (des mit dem Thorax verschmolzenen ersten Hinterleibssegments) sind keine lappenförmigen Auswüchse (oft ungenau als Metapleuralloben bezeichnet) vorhanden. Am Hinterleib ist die Bauchplatte (Sternit) des ersten Gastersegments auffallend verkürzt. Das Pygidium (Tergit des siebten Abdominalsegments, bildet das Hinterende des freien Hinterleibs) ist durch eine tiefe Aussparung zweispitzig. Ein Giftstachel ist vorhanden, er ist aber verkürzt und funktionslos und liegt im Hinterleib verborgen.

Die langgestreckt zylindrische Körperform, die fehlenden Augen, die verkürzten Antennen und Palpen lassen sich als Anpassungen an eine vor allem unterirdische Lebensweise erklären. Man nimmt an, dass auch die oberirdisch jagenden eigentlichen Treiberameisen in der Untergattung Anomma von unterirdisch lebenden Vorfahren abstammen.

Sehr auffallend bei allen Arten der Gattung ist der extreme Größenpolymorphismus der Arbeiterinnen. Die größten Formen besitzen mehr als die hundertfache Körpermasse der kleinsten. Die größten Formen wurden früher oft als Soldaten bezeichnet, oft werden die Arbeiterinnen in drei Größenformen eingeteilt. Anders als bei den südamerikanischen Eciton -Arten gehen aber alle Größenklassen lückenlos ineinander über, es existieren keine scharf geschiedenen Unterkasten.

Die Form der Königinnen ist wie bei allen Treiberameisen charakteristisch abgewandelt, diese besondere Merkmalsausprägung wird oft als dichthadiigyn bezeichnet. Die Königinnen sind ebenso wie die Arbeiterinnen völlig augenlos und ähneln diesen in der generellen Körpergestalt. Insbesondere besitzen sie niemals Flügel oder auch nur erkennbare Rudimente von solchen. Da die Koloniegründung der Treiberameisen durch Spaltung der Mutterkolonie erfolgt, entfällt der sonst bei Ameisen übliche Hochzeitsflug. Königinnen sind daher ausschließlich inmitten von schützenden Arbeiterinnen, niemals einzeln, anzutreffen. Der Hinterleib ist walzenförmig und stark verlängert, insbesondere das dritte Abdominalsegment (das erste Segment des Gaster) erreicht ungewöhnliche Länge, bei Dorylus , ist, anders als bei anderen Treiberameisen, auch das siebte Segment verlängert und deutlich zweilappig. Bei eierlegenden Königinnen ist der Hinterleib mehr oder weniger aufgetrieben ( physogastrisch ), um die Menge der gelegten Eier zu maximieren. Der Kopf ist verbreitert und abgerundet, die Mandibeln sind durch den fehlenden subapikalen Zahn linealisch oder sichelförmig (falciform). Abweichend von den Arbeiterinnen sitzt bei den Königinnen seitlich am Petiolus, auf der Bauchseite, jederseits eine lappenförmige Erweiterung, wodurch der Petiolus bei Aufsicht die Breite des Rumpfs erreichen kann.

Die Männchen von Dorylus haben eine gegenüber den anderen Kasten vollkommen abweichende Erscheinung. Sie besitzen sehr große, halbkugelig vorstehende Komplexaugen und außerdem drei Punktaugen (Ocellen). Sie sind voll geflügelt und flugfähig. Das Pronotum ist bei Sicht von der Seite her dreieckig verschmälert. Der Hinterleib ist hingegen zylindrisch und ganz auffallend verlängert ohne nach hinten hin verschmälert zu sein. Durch die für eine Ameise eher untypische Körpergestalt hat der Begründer der modernen Taxonomie, Carl von Linné das erste ihm vorliegende Männchen als Wespenart beschrieben und Vespa helvola benannt (heute: Dorylus helvolus ). Weitere typische Merkmale des Männchens sind: Die ersten drei Fühlerglieder sind auffallend glatt und glänzend, Labialpalpen eingliedrig, das Stigma am Mesothorax ist gegenüber seiner normalen Lage auffallend nach dorsal verschoben. Im Flügelgeäder fällt das schwach entwickelte Flügelmal (Pterostigma) auf, außerdem fehlt im Vorderflügel eine Querader, wodurch nur eine Submarginalzelle ausgebildet ist. Die Form des männlichen Begattungsapparats weist ebenfalls eine Reihe Besonderheiten auf.

Die Männchen der Dorylinae fliegen zu bestimmten Zeiten massenhaft und werden durch Lichtquellen in großer Zahl angelockt. Dadurch liegen sehr viele isolierte Fundnachweise von Männchen vor. Alle Systematiker vermuten deshalb, dass in einer unbekannten Zahl von Fällen die Männchen unabhängig von den Königinnen und Arbeiterinnen ein zweites Mal wissenschaftlich neu beschrieben worden sind, d. h. einer der Artnamen ein Synonym darstellt. Dies ist kürzlich für ein Artenpaar nachgewiesen worden ( Dorylus gerstaeckeri ist in Wirklichkeit das Männchen von Dorylus gribodoi ). [4] Durch vermutlich noch unerkannte Artenpaare ist die tatsächliche Artenzahl der Dorylinae sehr unsicher.

Die Männchen von Dorylus sollen in Afrika bei vielen Völkern als Delikatesse gelten und gegessen werden. Ihr Name wurde von Europäern als sausage flies (Wurstfliegen) übersetzt.

Über die Larven von Dorylus ist wenig bekannt. Einige Arten wurden von Wheeler beschrieben. [5] Sie entsprechen in der Körpergestalt den Ameisenlarven des mymecoiden Larventyps, d. h. sie sind relativ langgestreckt mit bauchwärts eingekrümmtem Körper, das Abdomen ist zum Hinterende hin am breitesten und hinten abrupt verengt. Auffallend sind Beinrudimente, die als kissenförmige, warzige Strukturen ausgebildet sind. Die Körperoberfläche ist von mikroskopischen Dörrnchen (Spinulae) besetzt und nur sehr spärlich behaart. An der Kopfkapsel gehen Labrum und Clypeus ohne klar erkennbare Naht ineinander über, diese Struktur ist nach vorne ausgestülpt.

Lebensweise

Die meisten Dorylus -Arten, darunter alle asiatischen (und auch der einzige europäische) Vertreter, leben und jagen unterirdisch (hypogäisch). Die spektakulären Raubzüge der eigentlichen Treiberameisen sind auf wenige Arten der Untergattung Anomma beschränkt, die alle im tropischen Afrika leben. Während die oberirdisch jagenden Arten schon den Forschungsreisenden des 19. Jahrhunderts auffielen, ist über die unterirdisch jagenden vergleichsweise viel weniger bekannt. Diese Lebensweise gilt aber als die ursprüngliche, aus der sich die oberirdische Jagdweise sekundär entwickelt hat.

Alle Arten, sowohl die oberirdisch wie auch die unterirdisch jagenden, zeigen das typische Verhalten der Wanderameisen. [6] Sie jagen immer und ausschließlich in Gruppen, die aus zahlreichen Arbeiterinnen bestehen. Späher, die einzeln ausschwärmen und anschließend Nestgenossen rekrutieren würden, gibt es keine. Stattdessen brechen jeden Abend die Arbeiterinnen aus dem Nest in einer massiven Marschkolonne, die Hunderttausende bis Millionen von Tieren umfasst, auf. Die vordersten Tiere laufen ein Stück voraus, lassen sich dann aber zurückfallen, so dass ständig neue Tiere die Front bilden. Die Marschsäule spaltet sich nach gewisser Zeit in parallel laufende Kolonnen auf, die sich bei der Jagd bei den oberirdisch jagenden Arten nach und nach zu einer breiten Front auffächern, die einen oder zwei Meter tief ist. Alle Marschsäulen sind durch zurücklaufende Tiere ständig mit dem Nest verbunden. Die vorderen Tiere jagen ihre Beutetiere, die zumindest bei den oberirdisch jagenden Arten nahezu alles, von kleinen Milben und Springschwänzen bis hin zu Schlangen und Eidechsen, umfasst. Auch viel größere Beutetiere werden durch synchronen Angriff zahlreicher Arbeiterinnen überwältigt, nur sehr wenige Arten sind durch spezielle Schutzmechanismen sicher. Die Beutetiere werden anschließend entweder an Ort und Stelle zerlegt oder im Ganzen zum Nest transportiert. Die Beute wird dabei nicht, wie bei anderen Ameisen, rückwärts gezogen, sondern längs unter dem Körper getragen. Ist ein Beuteobjekt zu groß, tragen es Teams aus mehreren Arbeiterinnen, dies geschieht bei Dorylus häufiger als bei Eciton , die dafür mehr sehr große Arbeiterinnen besitzt. [7] Gegen Morgen kehrt die Kolonne in das Nest zurück, sie bricht am folgenden Tag in eine andere Richtung wieder auf.

Alle Arten jagen auf oder im Boden, eine Jagd in der Feldschicht oder im Kronenraum von Wäldern findet nicht statt.

Bemerken andere Tierarten sich nähernde Treiberameisen, führt dies in der Regel zu sofortiger Flucht. In der Beschreibung des amerikanischen Zoologen Thomas Staughton Savage , der die Tiere als erster eingehend beschrieb: "Es ist buchstäblich wahr, dass sie alles vor sich hertreiben, was fähig ist, sich zu bewegen. Ihre Ankunft in einer Siedlung erkennt man an der gleichzeitigen Flucht aller hier lebenden Ratten, Mäuse, Eidechsen, Schaben usw. Und sogar der Mensch, selbsternannter Herr der Schöpfung , muss sich dem zahlenmäßig überlegenen Feind geschlagen geben, kommen die Ameisen zu einer Tür herein, flieht er schnell durch die andere." [8] Aufgrund ihrer stark ausgebildeten Kieferzangen können Treiberameisen auch bei Menschen sehr schmerzhafte Bisse zufügen. In einigen Fällen kann es zu allergischen Reaktionen oder zu Atemnot kommen. [9] Da ein Raubzug von Treiberameisen nur ca. 20 Meter in der Stunde zurücklegt, [10] ist eine Gefahr für Menschen nur äußerst gering.

Im Gegensatz zu den Eciton -Arten, deren Brut und Königin sich in einem oberirdischen Biwaknest aufhalten, das aus den Körpern von Arbeiterinnen selbst gebildet wird, leben alle Dorylus -Arten in unterirdischen Nestern. In den Nestern kann es aber zu biwak-artigen Ansammlungen von Arbeiterinnen kommen. Bei der oberirdischen Art Dorylus molestus sind die Nester sehr auffallende kraterähnliche Erdeinsenkungen von etwa drei Meter Durchmesser, die ausgegrabene Bodenmenge wurde auf etwa 35 Kilogramm geschätzt. [11] Bei der unterirdisch jagenden Dorylus laevigatus bestehen die Nester aus einer oder mehreren benachbarten Erdhöhlungen bis zu etwa 30 Zentimeter Durchmesser ca. 20 Zentimeter unter der Oberfläche, wobei oberflächlich keine Spur des Nests erkennbar ist. [12] Wie für alle Wanderameisen typisch und kennzeichnend, verlegen alle Dorylus -Arten periodisch den Neststandort und beziehen ein neues Nest. Bei Dorylus molestus erfolgten die Umzüge nach 3 bis 111 Tagen, Mittelwert 17 Tage. Der neue Neststandort war im Mittel etwa 100 Meter vom alten entfernt. Die Niststandorte liegen meist in etwa auf einer geraden Linie. Beim Umzug zieht erst ein Teil des Volks voran und bereitet den neuen Standort vor. Die Königin wechselt den Nestort wann immer möglich in einem von Erde bedeckten Gang, kann ein solcher nicht ausgehoben werden, dicht von Arbeiterinnen bedeckt. Als Grund für den Umzug gilt vor allem die Erschöpfung der Nahrungsgrundlage am alten Standort durch die Jagdzüge, die durch die besondere Jagdtechnik bald keine Beute mehr übrig lassen. Die komplizierten Rhythmen zwischen reproduktiven und Jagdphasen, die für Eciton -Arten beschrieben wurden, gibt es bei Dorylus nicht.

Völker von Dorylus haben, unabhängig von ihrer Volkzahl, immer nur eine einzige Königin. Neue Kolonien entstehen aus der Mutterkolonie durch Sprossung. Dabei werden in bestimmten Abständen zusätzlich zu Arbeiterinnen Geschlechtstiere erzeugt und großgezogen. Eine oder mehrere Jungköniginnen verlassen anschließend mit einem Teil des Volks die Mutterkolonie und leben unabhängig weiter. Anschließend werden, auf im Detail unbekannte Weise, überzählige Königinnen eliminiert. Die Jungköniginnen werden durch zugeflogene Männchen aus anderen Kolonien befruchtet, um Inzucht zu vermeiden. Die Männchen fliegen dazu in den Schwarm ein. Dies gibt den Arbeiterinnen möglicherweise Gelegenheit, passende Bewerber auszuwählen. Jede Königin wird von zahlreichen Männchen befruchtet, allerdings nur unmittelbar nach der Spaltung. Später findet keine weitere Befruchtung mehr statt. [13] Da die Arbeiterinnen viele Väter haben können, sind sie im Mittel Halbschwestern. Stirbt eine Königin, geht das betroffene Volk in der Regel zugrunde. Es kommt weder zur Bildung von Ersatz-Geschlechtstieren, noch beginnen Arbeiterinnen Eier zu legen (aus denen, weil unbefruchtet, immer Männchen schlüpfen würden). Gelegentlich kommt es aber dazu, dass ein königinloses Volk mit einem anderen, benachbarten fusioniert. [14]

Treffen zwei Völker auf ihren Jagdzügen aufeinander, ändern sie in der Regel ihre Marschrichtung, um sich aus dem Weg zu gehen. Es kommt nicht zu nennenswerter innerartlicher Aggression.

Die Erzeugung neuer Kolonien durch Sprossung hat eine Reihe von Auswirkungen. So ist es den Tieren dadurch nicht möglich, sich effektiv fernzuverbreiten oder als Lebensraum ungeeignete Bereiche größerer Ausdehnung zu durchqueren. Die Gattung Dorylus fehlt, wahrscheinlich deshalb, in der Regel auf Inseln jeder Lage und Größe, einschließlich der großen Insel Madagaskar. Außerdem sind die Tiere bei Fragmentation ihres Lebensraums, z. B. durch Fällen von Wäldern, oft auf diese Habitat-Inseln beschränkt. Auf kleinen Inseln können sie sehr rasch ganz aussterben. Durch ihren hohen ökologischen Einfluss hat das große Auswirkungen auf die gesamte Lebensgemeinschaft.

Schwestergruppe der Dorylinae ist wohl die rätselhafte Gattung Aenictogiton aus Südafrika, die in eine eigene Unterfamilie Aenictogitoninae gestellt wird. Von Aenictogiton sind bis heute nur Männchen gefunden worden, Arbeiterinnen und Königinnen sind unbekannt. Nächstverwandt ist anschließend die altweltliche Gattung Aenictus , für die ebenfalls eine eigene Unterfamilie Aenictinae eingerichtet wurde. Diese zusammen sind Schwestergruppe der neuweltlichen Ecitoninae. Damit bilden alle echten Treiberameisen eine Klade, die als Dorylomorpha benannt worden ist (früher wurden alle diese Unterfamilien allerdings meist in einer weiter gefassten Unterfamilie Dorylinae vereinigt). Diese Phylogenie erscheint sowohl nach morphologischen wie auch nach molekularen Merkmalen gut begründet. [15] [16] [17] Wanderameisen im ökologischen Sinne, d. h. Arten ohne festen Niststandort, die in Gruppen jagen, gibt es darüber hinaus auch noch aus anderen Verwandtschaftsgruppen. Innerhalb der Dorylomorpha war früher die Ansicht vorherrschend, die Lebensweise als Wanderameisen wäre auch in den einzelnen Unterfamilien konvergent entstanden. [18] Nun geht man von einer einmaligen, gemeinsamen Entstehung an der Basis der Stammlinie aus. [19]

Ein chinesischer Forscher hat im Jahr 2000 eine zweite Gattung der Dorylinae für eine neu entdeckte Art eingerichtet, die er Yunodorylus sexspinosus benannte. [20] Die Art ist später allerdings in die Gattung Cerapachys (Unterfamilie Cerapachyinae ) gestellt worden. [21]

Die Gattung Dorylus wird nach morphologischen Merkmalen in sechs Untergattungen unterteilt

• Dichthadia mit nur einer Art: Dorylus laevigatus
• Dorylus (s. str.)

Bei einer molekularen Studie anhand homologer DNA-Sequenzen wurde die Gliederung zwar in den Grundzügen bestätigt. Allerdings erwiesen sich die Untergattungen Dorylus s. str. und Anomma als gegeneinander paraphyletisch , sie sollten deshalb in einer Gruppe vereinigt werden. Monophyletisch war hingegen eine Gruppe, die alle oberirdisch jagenden Anomma -Arten umfasste. [22]

Verbreitung

Das Hauptverbreitungsgebiet der Treiberameisen liegt in Ost- und Zentralafrika [18] . In Asien leben nur vier Arten. [23] Eine davon, die weit verbreitete Dorylus fulvus , die auch in den Trockengebieten Nordafrikas und Arabiens [24] lebt, kommt im Südosten Europas (Balkanhalbinsel) vor. [25]

Ökologische Bedeutung

Treiberameisen sind in zahlreichen Lebensräumen des tropischen Afrika ökologische Schlüsselarten mit starkem Einfluss auf die gesamte Lebensgemeinschaft. Ihre Biomasse kann, pro Fläche betrachtet, in den von ihnen bevorzugten Lebensräumen diejenige der Wirbeltier-Prädatoren erreichen. Dabei beeinflussen die oberirdischen Arten ihren Lebensraum offenbar stärker als die unterirdisch jagenden. Obwohl einige von diesen auf Regenwürmer als bevorzuge Beute spezialisiert sind, senkt ihre Anwesenheit deren Biomasse nicht dauerhaft ab. [26] Stärkeren Einfluss üben die unterirdisch jagenden Arten allerdings auf Termitennester aus. Während einige unterirdische Arten auf diese Beute spezialisiert sind, gehören sie nur ausnahmsweise zum Beutespektrum der epigäischen Arten. [27]

Ameisenvögel

Als Beispiel für den Einfluss, den die Dorylus -Arten auf die Lebensgemeinschaft ausüben, sollen auch die ameisenfolgenden Vogelarten genannt sein. Eine ganze Reihe von Vögeln hat sich auf die aufgescheuchten, vor den Ameisen flüchtenden Insekten als Beute spezialisiert. Diese Arten sind z. T. von den Ameisen vollkommen abhängig. Dabei können sie als Nahrungsparasiten (Kleptoparasiten) der Ameisen aufgefasst werden, die deren Jagderfolg mindern. [28]

In einer Studie im tropischen Afrika nennen die Autoren für ihre Untersuchungsgebiete 17 Vogelarten, die sie als spezialisierte Ameisenfolger einstufen: [29] Halcyon badia ( Kastanienlist ), Ceyx lecontei ( Braunkopf-Zwergfischer ), Phyllastrephus icterinus ( Zeisigbülbül ), Bleda syndactyla , Bleda notata , Criniger chloronotus ( Strichelbrustbülbül ), Criniger calurus ( Swainson-Bülbül ), Stiphrornis erythrothorax ( Waldrötel ), Alethe diademata ( Diademalethe ), Alethe popliocephala ( Braunbrust-Alethe ), Neocossyphus rufus ( Rotschwanz-Fuchsdrossel ), Neocossyphus poensis ( Weißschwanz-Fuchsdrossel ), Stizorhina fraseri ( Kurzlaufdrossel ), Illadopsis rufipennis ( Grauwangen-Buschdrossling ), Illadopsis fulvescens ( Braunbauch-Buschdrossling ), Illadopsis cleaveri ( Augenbrauen-Buschdrossling ), Dicrurus atripennis ( Glanzdrongo ). In Regionen, in denen die Ameisen verschwinden, z. B. wegen Waldrodung, können auch diese Arten nicht überleben. [30]

Volksmedizinische Verwendung

In früheren Zeiten, bevor moderne Operationstechniken fast weltweit zur Verfügung standen, wurden Treiberameisen wie auch andere Ameisen mit besonders weiten Mandibeln zum Verschließen von Wunden und zur Ligatur von Blutgefäßen eingesetzt. [31] [32] Bis ins 19. Jahrhundert wurden Ameisen auf die Wundränder gehalten und, nachdem ihre Kiefer zugeschnappt waren und so die Wunde geschlossen hatten, hinter dem Kopf abgetrennt. Für eine längere Wunde wurden mehrere Ameisen nebeneinander eingesetzt. Diese Technik soll auch in den antiken Hochkulturen bekannt und beschrieben worden sein.

• William H. Gotwald: Army ants: The biology of social predation , 1995, ISBN 0-8014-2633-2
• Bert Hölldobler & Edward O. Wilson : Ameisen , 2001, ISBN 3-492-23414-3
• T.C. Schneirla und H. R. Topoff: Army ants. A study in social organization , San Francisco, W. H. Freeman & Co, 1971, ISBN 0-7167-0933-3
• Daniel J.C. Kronauer (2009): Recent advances in army ant biology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 51–65.
• Sean G. Brady & Philip S. Ward (2005): Morphological phylogeny of army ants and other dorylomorphs (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Systematic Entomology 30: 593–618, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2005.00290.x

Einzelnachweise

• ↑ Jane Goodall: 50 Years at Gombe. Abrams Books, New York, 2013. ISBN 978-1-61312-607-3 . Kap. „Tool Making“. (dt.: Mein Leben für Tiere und Natur: 50 Jahre in Gombe. Bassermann Verlag, 2010)
• ↑ S. Bruce Archibald, Kirk R. Johnson, Rolf W. Mathewes and David R. Greenwood (2011): Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B: 278, 3679–3686, doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.0729 , p. 3682
• ↑ Graeme P. Boswell, Nigel R. Franks, Nicholas F. Britton Arms races and the evolution of big erce societies. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 268: 1723–1730, doi:10.1098/rspb.2001.1671
• ↑ Caspar Schöning, William H. Gotwald, Daniel J. C. Kronauer, Lars Vilhelmsen: Taxonomy of the African army ant Dorylus gribodoi Emery, 1892 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) — new insights from DNA sequence data and morphology. In: Zootaxa 1749, 2008, S. 39–52.
• ↑ George Wheeler, Jeanette Wheeler: The larvae of the arma ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). A revision. In: Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 57, Nr. 2, 1984, S. 263–275.
• ↑ Bert Hölldobler, Edward O. Wilson: The Ants. Belknap Press, 1990. ISBN 978-0-674-04075-5 . Chapter 16: The army ants. S. 573 ff.
• ↑ N. R. Franks, A. B. Sendova-Franks, J. Simmons, M. Mogie: Convergent evolution, superefficient teams and tempo in Old and New World army ants. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society London Series B 266, 1999, S. 1697–1701.
• ↑ Thomas S. Savage: The Driver Ants of Western Africa; On the Identity of Anomma with Dorylus, Suggested by Specimens Which Dr. Savage Found Together, and Transmitted to Illustrate HisPaper on the Driver Ants. In: Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia , Band 4 1849, S. 195–204. Zitat auf S. 199, download .

• ↑ Caspar Schöning: Evolutionary and behavioural ecology of Dorylus army ants. Chapter 3: Temporal and spatial patterns in the migrating behaviour of the army ant Dorylus (Anomma) molestus in the montane forests of Mt Kenya. Diss., FU Berlin 2004.
• ↑ Stefanie M. Berghoff: Sociobiology of the hypogeic army ant Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus Fr. Smith. Diss., Universität Würzburg 2002.
• ↑ D. J. C. Kronauer, J. J. Boomsma: Do army ant queens re-mate later in life? In: Insectes Sociaux 54, 2007, S. 20–28, doi:10.1007/s00040-007-0904-2 .
• ↑ Daniel J. C. Kronauer, Caspar Schöning, Patrizia d'Ettorre, Jacobus J. Boomsma: Colony fusion and worker reproduction after queen loss in army ants. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 277, 2010, S. 755–763, doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1591 .
• ↑ Sean G. Brady, Philip S. Ward: Morphological phylogeny of army ants and other dorylomorphs (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Systematic Entomology 30, 2005, S. 593–618, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2005.00290.x .
• ↑ Daniel J. C. Kronauer: Recent advances in army ant biology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Myrmecological News 12, 2009, S. 51–65.
• ↑ Antweb: Subfamiliy Dorylinae .
• ↑ a b William H. Gotwald: Phylogenetic implication of army ant zoogeography. In: Annals of the Entomological Society of America 72, Nr. 4, 1979, S. 462–467.
• ↑ Sean G. Brady: Evolution of the army ant syndrome: The origin and long-term evolutionary stasis of a complex of behavioral and reproductive adaptations. In: PNAS 100, Nr. 11, 2003, S. 6575–6579, doi:10.1073/pnas.1137809100 .
• ↑ Zheng-Hui Xu: Two new genera of ant subfamilies Dorylinae and Ponerinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Yunnan, China. In: Zoological Research 21, Nr. 4, 2000, S. 297–302.
• ↑ Marek L. Borowiec: New ant species related to Cerapachys sexspinus and discussion of the status of Yunodorylus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Zootaxa 2069, 2009, S. 43–58.
• ↑ Daniel J.C. Kronauer, Caspar Schöning, Lars B. Vilhelmsen, Jacobus J. Boomsma: A molecular phylogeny of Dorylus army ants provides evidence for multiple evolutionary transitions in foraging niche . In: BMC Evolutionary Biology . Band 7 , Nr. 1 , 4. April 2007, S. 56 , doi : 10.1186/1471-2148-7-56 , PMID 17408491 (open access).
• ↑ Edward O. Wilson (1964): The true army ants of the Indo-Australian area. Pacific Insects 6 (3): 427–483.
• ↑ C. A. Collingwood: Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae from Saudi-Arabia. In: Fauna of Saudi-Arabia 7, 1985, S. 230–302.
• ↑ Donat Agosti, Cedric A. Collingwood: A provisional list of the Balkan ants (Hym. Formicidae) with a key to the worker caste. II. Key to the worker caste, including the European species without the Iberean. In: Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 60, 1987, S. 261–293.
• ↑ C. Schöning, C. Csuzdi, W. Kinuthia, J. O. Ogutu (2010): Influence of driver ant swarm raids on earthworm prey densities in the Mount Kenya forest: implications for prey population dynamics and colony migrations. Insectes Sociaux 57: 73–82, doi:10.1007/s00040-009-0052-y
• ↑ Caspar Schöning & Mark W. Moffett (2007): Driver Ants Invading a Termite Nest: Why Do the Most Catholic Predators of All Seldom Take This Abundant Prey? Biotropica 39(5): 663–667, doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2007.00296.x
• ↑ Peter H. Wrege, Martin Wikelski, James T. Mandel, Thomas Rassweiler, Iain D. Couzin (2005): Antbirds parasitize foraging army ants. Ecology, 86(3): 555–559.
• ↑ Matthias Waltert, K. Serge Bobo, N. Moses Sainge, Heleen Fermon and Michael Mühlenberg. 2005. From forest to farmland: habitat effects on Afrotropical forest bird diversity. Ecological Applications 15: 1351–1366.
• ↑ Marcell K. Peters, Smith Likare, Manfred Krämer (2008): Effect of habitat fragmentation and degradation on flocks of African ant-following birds. Ecological Applications 18 (4): 847–858.
• ↑ Finn Gottrup & David Leaper (2004): Wound healing: Historical Aspects. EWMA Journal 4 (2): 21–26.
• ↑ John Bland-Sutton (1925): On faith in ligatures. British Medical Journal 1925 November 7; 2(3384): 823–826. PMC 2227635 (freier Volltext)

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( German )

Dorylus ist eine Gattung der Ameisen . Es handelt sich um die einzige Gattung der Unterfamilie Dorylinae. Sie gehört zu den Wanderameisen (Dorylomorpha). In ihrer Ökologie und Lebensweise entspricht sie in der Alten Welt den Arten der Unterfamilie Ecitoninae in Amerika. Die Dorylus-Arten werden als Heeres- oder Treiberameisen bezeichnet (auf Englisch Driver Ants, Siafu auf Swahili ). Den Namen Treiberameisen erhielten sie nach den Arten der Untergattung Anomma, die ihre fliehende Beute auf einer breiten Front vor sich herzutreiben scheinen.

Die Gattung Dorylus umfasst mit Dorylus wilverthi die größten Ameisen überhaupt, die Königinnen erreichen 52 Millimeter Körperlänge, als auch die größten bekannten Insektenstaaten mit mehr als 20 Millionen Arbeiterinnen pro Volk.

Dorylus ( Greek, Modern (1453-) )

Τα Dorylus (στα Σουαχίλι , siafu , σιάφου ), επίσης γνωστά ως μυρμήγκια οδηγοί , μυρμήγκια σαφάρι , είναι μεγάλο γένος εκστρατευτικών μυρμηγκιών τα οποία βρίσκονται κυρίως στην κεντρική και ανατολική Αφρική , αν και η περιοχή εκτείνεται και στη Νότια Αφρική και στην τροπική Ασία .

Ο όρος siafu είναι δάνεια λέξη από τη Σουαχίλι, [1] και είναι μια από τις πολλές παρόμοιες λέξεις από τις περιφερειακές γλώσσες των Μπαντού , οι οποίες χρησιμοποιούνται από τους αυτόχθονες πληθυσμούς για να περιγράψουν διάφορα είδη αυτών των μυρμηγκιών.

Σε αντίθεση με τα μέλη του Νέου Κόσμου της πρώην υποοικογένειας Ecitoninae (τώρα Dorylinae ), μέλη αυτού του γένους σχηματίζουν προσωρινές μυρμηγκοφωλιές οι οποίες διαρκούν από λίγες ημέρες έως τρεις μήνες. Κάθε αποικία, μπορεί να περιέχει πάνω από 20 εκατομμύρια άτομα. Όπως και με τους πανομοιότυπούς τους στο Νέο Κόσμο, υπάρχει μια στρατιωτική τάξη μεταξύ των εργατριών, η οποία είναι μεγαλύτερη, με πολύ μεγάλο κεφάλι και με δακγάνες ωσάν τσιμπίδες. Είναι ικανές να τσιμπούν, αλλά πολύ σπάνια το κάνουν, βασιζόμενες αντ' αυτού στους ισχυρούς ψαλιδίζοντες σιαγόνες των. [2]

Πίνακας περιεχομένων

• 1 Κύκλος ζωής
• 3 Δείτε επίσης
• 4 Σημειώσεις
• 5 Παραπομπές
• 6 Εξωτερικοί σύνδεσμοι

Κύκλος ζωής

Εποχιακά, όταν λιγοστεύουν οι προμήθειες, φεύγουν από το λόφο και σχηματίζουν φάλαγγες πορείας έως 50.000.000 μυρμηγκιών, οι οποίες θεωρούνται απειλή για τους ανθρώπους, αν και μπορούν εύκολα να αποφευχθούν· μια φάλαγγα μπορεί να διανύσει απόσταση 20 περίπου μέτρων ανά ώρα. Ο μεγαλύτερος κίνδυνος υπάρχει για εκείνους οι οποίοι δεν μπορούν να κινηθούν ή όταν οι φάλαγγες περνούν ανάμεσα από οικίες. [3] Αντιθέτως, η παρουσία τους είναι ωφέλιμη, σε ορισμένες ανθρώπινες κοινότητες, όπως αυτή των Μαασάι , καθώς στις αγροτικές κοινότητες, εκτελούν υπηρεσίες πρόληψης των επιβλαβών οργανισμών, καταναλώνοντας την πλειοψηφία των άλλων φυτικών παρασίτων, από έντομα έως μεγάλους αρουραίους. [2] Για παράδειγμα, τα μυρμήγκια οδηγοί επιτίθενται στις προνύμφες του τρυπητή του Αφρικανικού ζαχαροκάλαμου ( Eldana ), ενός παρασίτου στην υποσαχάρια Αφρική και χρησιμοποιούνται ως μορφή ελέγχου των παρασίτων. [4]

Οι χαρακτηριστικές μακριές φάλαγγες των μυρμηγκιών, θα υπερασπιστούν έντονα τους εαυτούς των, ενάντια σε οτιδήποτε τους επιτίθεται. [2] Οι φάλαγγες είναι διευθετημένες με τα μικρότερα μυρμήγκια να πλαισιώνονται από τα μεγαλύτερα μυρμήγκια στρατιώτες. Αυτοί καταλαμβάνουν αυτόματα τις θέσεις των ως φρουροί και ορίζουν ένα περιμετρικό διάδρομο εντός του οποίου τα μικρότερα μυρμήγκια μπορούν να κινηθούν με ασφάλεια. Το δάγκωμα τους είναι εξαιρετικά οδυνηρό, κάθε στρατιώτης όταν αφαιρεθεί, αφήνει ουλές με δυο οπές. Η απομάκρυνση είναι δύσκολη, μολαταύτα, καθώς τα σαγόνια τους είναι εξαιρετικά ισχυρά, κάποιος μπορεί να τραβήξει ένα μυρμήγκι στρατιώτη στα δύο, χωρίς να απελευθερωθεί το δάγκωμά του. Μεγάλος αριθμός μυρμηγκιών μπορεί να σκοτώσει μικρά ή ακινητοποιημένα ζώα και να φάει τη σάρκα τους. Ένα μεγάλο μέρος της διατροφής τους είναι γαιοσκώληκες. Όλα τα είδη Dorylus είναι τυφλά και όπως και τα περισσότερα είδη μυρμηγκιών, επικοινωνούν κυρίως διαμέσου των φερομόνων . [2]

Την εποχή του ζευγαρώματος, σχηματίζονται αλάτες [Σημ. 1] [Παρ. Σημ. 1] (φτερωτά αρσενικά μυρμήγκια, οι βασίλισσες του είδους στα μυρμήγκια οδηγούς, δεν αναπτύσσουν φτερά). Τα φτερωτά αρσενικά μυρμήγκια είναι μεγαλύτερα από τους στρατιώτες και οι βασίλισσες είναι ακόμα μεγαλύτερες. Τα πραγματικά μυρμήγκια οδηγοί δεν πραγματοποιούν γαμήλια πτήση, αλλά ζευγαρώνουν στο έδαφος και οι βασίλισσες αναχωρούν για τη δημιουργία νέων αποικιών. Όπως και με τα περισσότερα μυρμήγκια , οι εργάτριες και οι στρατιώτες είναι στείρα (μη αναπαραγόμενα) θηλυκά. [2]

Τα αρσενικά μυρμήγκια οδηγοί, μερικές φορές γνωστά και ως «μύγες λουκάνικο» (ένας όρος ο οποίος ισχύει και για τα αρσενικά ecitonines του Νέου Κόσμου ), λόγω των πρησμένων γαστήρων των που ομοιάζουν με λουκάνικα , συγκαταλέγονται μεταξύ των μεγαλύτερων μορφών μυρμηγκιών και αρχικά θεωρούνταν μέλη διαφορετικού είδους. Οι βασίλισσες είναι ακόμα μεγαλύτερες.

Τα αρσενικά εγκαταλείπουν την αποικία αμέσως μετά την εκκόλαψή των, αλλά, μόλις φτάσουν σε σεξουαλική ωριμότητα, έλκονται από το ίχνος της οσμής που αφήνει η φάλαγγα των σιάφου. Όταν μια αποικία με μυρμήγκια οδηγούς συναντήσει ένα αρσενικό, του τεμαχίζουν τα φτερά του - αφαιρώντας τα και τον μεταφέρουν πίσω στη φωλιά, προκειμένου να ζευγαρώσει με μια παρθένα βασίλισσα. Όπως συμβαίνει με όλα τα μυρμήγκια, λίγο αργότερα, τα αρσενικά αποθνήσκουν. [2] Μετά από αυτό, η βασίλισσα μυρμήγκι, θα εναποθέσει τα πρώτα αυγά. Οι βασίλισσες των μυρμηγκιών οδηγών, μπορούν και εναποθέτουν έως και 1.000.000 αυγά το μήνα.

Τέτοια είναι η δύναμη των σιαγόνων των μυρμηγκιών, που στην Ανατολική Αφρική , χρησιμοποιούνται ως φυσικά ράμματα εκτάκτου ανάγκης. Διάφοροι ιθαγενείς φυλετικοί λαοί της Ανατολικής Αφρικής (π.χ. Μαασάι moran ), [Σημ. 2] όταν στη σαβάνα προκληθεί κάποιο βαθύ κόψιμο, θα χρησιμοποιήσουν τους στρατιώτες για να συρράψουν την πληγή τους, με το να βάλουν τα μυρμήγκια να δαγκώσουν και τις δύο πλευρές της εγκοπής και εν συνεχεία να τα κόψουν, αφαιρώντας τα από το σώμα τους. Αυτή η χρήση των μυρμηγκιών σε αυτοσχέδιους χειρουργικούς συνδετήρες, κάθε φορά, δημιουργεί μια στεγανότητα, η οποία μπορεί να διαρκέσει για ημέρες και εάν είναι απαραίτητο, η διαδικασία μπορεί να επαναληφθεί, επιτρέποντας να αρχίσει η φυσική επούλωση. [5]

Αρκετά είδη σε αυτό το γένος, πραγματοποιούν επιδρομές στα termitaria , [Σημ. 3] [Παρ. Σημ. 2] [Παρ. Σημ. 3] όπου παραλύουν ή σκοτώνουν μερικούς από τους τερμίτες και τους μεταφέρουν πίσω στη φωλιά τους. [6]

Οι αποικίες του είδους των μυρμηγκιών οδηγών, έχουν μία μόνο βασίλισσα. Όταν αυτή αποθάνει, οι επιζήσασες εργάτριες, μπορούν να επιχειρήσουν να ενταχθούν σε μια άλλη αποικία, αλλά σε άλλες περιπτώσεις, όταν συναντιούνται δύο αποικίες του ίδιου είδους μυρμηγκιών οδηγών, συνήθως αλλάζουν τις κατευθυντήριες πορείες των, προκειμένου να αποφευχθούν οι συγκρούσεις.

• D. acutus Felix Santschi ( Santschi ), 1937
• D. aethiopicus Carlo Emery ( Emery ), 1895
• D. affinis Shuckard , 1840
• D. agressor Santschi , 1923
• D. alluaudi Santschi , 1914
• D. atratus Smith , 1859
• D. atriceps Shuckard , 1840
• D. attenuatus Shuckard , 1840
• D. bequaerti Forel , 1913
• D. bishyiganus Boven , 1972
• D. braunsi Emery , 1895
• D. brevipennis Emery , 1895
• D. brevis Santschi , 1919
• D. buyssoni Santschi , 1910
• D. congolensis Santschi , 1910
• D. conradti Emery , 1895
• D. depilis Emery , 1895
• D. diadema Gerstaecker , 1859
• D. distinctus Santschi , 1910
• D. ductor Santschi , 1939
• D. emeryi Mayr , 1896
• D. erraticus Smith , 1865
• D. faurei Arnold , 1946
• D. fimbriatus Shuckard , 1840
• D. fulvus Westwood , 1839
• D. funereus Emery , 1895
• D. furcatus Gerstaecker , 1872
• D. fuscipennis Emery , 1892
• D. gaudens Santschi , 1919
• D. ghanensis Boven , 1975
• D. gribodoi Emery , 1892 – συμπεριλαμβάνει D. gerstaeckeri Emery , 1895
• D. helvolus Linnaeus , 1764
• D. katanensis Stitz , 1911
• D. kohli Wasmann , 1904
• D. labiatus Shuckard , 1840
• D. laevigatus Smith , 1857
• D. lamottei Bernard , 1953
• D. leo Santschi , 1919
• D. mandibularis Mayr , 1896
• D. mayri Santschi , 1912
• D. moestus Emery , 1895
• D. molestus Wheeler , 1922
• D. montanus Santschi , 1910
• D. niarembensis Boven , 1972
• D. nigricans Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger ( Illiger ), 1802
• D. ocellatus Stitz , 1910
• D. orientalis Westwood , 1835
• D. politus Emery , 1901
• D. rufescens Santschi , 1915
• D. savagei Emery , 1895
• D. schoutedeni Santschi , 1923
• D. spininodis Emery , 1901
• D. stadelmanni Emery , 1895
• D. stanleyi Forel , 1909
• D. staudingeri Emery , 1895
• D. striatidens Santschi , 1910
• D. termitarius Wasmann , 1911
• D. titan Santschi , 1923
• D. vishnui Wheeler , 1913
• D. westwoodii Shuckard , 1840
• D. wilverthi Emery , 1899

Δείτε επίσης

• Εκστρατευτικό μυρμήγκι
• Καταυλισμός (μυρμηγκιών)
• ↑ Αλάτης (ο) ( Αγγλικά : alate [προφέρεται: ˈā-ˌlāt ], Λατινικά : alatus , Γαλλικά : ala (1653)), αναφέρεται κυρίως επί εντόμων ή σπόρων, έχοντα φτερά ή φτερωτά εξαρτήματα.
• ↑ Οι « Morans » ή « Il-murran » είναι μία ηλικιακή ομάδα εφήβων αγοριών Μαασάι. Κάθε 15 περίπου χρόνια, θα ξεκινήσει μια νέα και μεμονωμένη γενιά, ονομαζόμενη « Morans » ή « Il-murran » (πολεμιστές). Αυτή περιλαμβάνει τα περισσότερα αγόρια ηλικίας μεταξύ 12 και 25 ετών, τα οποία έχουν φτάσει στην εφηβεία και δεν αποτελούν μέρος της προηγούμενης ηλικιακής ομάδας. Μια ιεροτελεστία μετάβασης από την παιδική ηλικία στην κατάσταση του κατώτερου πολεμιστή, είναι μια τελετή περιτομής, η οποία εκτελείται χωρίς αναισθησία.
• ↑ Η λέξη termitaria ή terminarium σημαίνει: μια φωλιά (φυσική ή τεχνητή) ή μια αποικία τερμίτων.
• ↑ «alate». Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary . United States of America: Merriam Webster, Incorporated. 2014. σελ. 29. ISBN 978-0-87779-810-1 . Unknown parameter |editor in chief= ignored ( βοήθεια )
• ↑ John. B.Smith. «termitarium» . Dictionary.com . Ανακτήθηκε στις 27 Φεβρουαρίου 2019 .
• ↑ Lobeck, A. Kohl (1939). Geomorphology; an Introduction to the Study of Landscapes (1st έκδοση). University of California: McGraw Hill Book Company, Incorporated. σελίδες 431–432. ASIN B002P5O9SC .
• ↑ Swahili translation Αρχειοθετήθηκε July 20, 2011, στο Wayback Machine .
• ↑ 2,0 2,1 2,2 2,3 2,4 2,5 Hölldobler, Bert ; Wilson, Edward O. (1990). The Ants . Belknap Press of Harvard University Press . ISBN 0-674-04075-9 .
• ↑ Master of the Killer Ants
• ↑ Hastings, H.** Conling, D.E., Graham, D.Y.* & (1988-03-01). "Notes on the natural host surveys and laboratory rearing of Goniozus natalensis Gordh (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), a parasitoid of Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae from Cyperus papyrus L. in Southern Africa" (PDF). Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern
• ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233766133_From_Ants_to_Staples_History_and_Ideas_Concerning_Suturing_Techniques
• ↑ Biotropics Αρχειοθετήθηκε January 24, 2009, στο Wayback Machine .

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Greek, Modern (1453-) )

Τα Dorylus (στα Σουαχίλι , siafu, σιάφου), επίσης γνωστά ως μυρμήγκια οδηγοί, μυρμήγκια σαφάρι, είναι μεγάλο γένος εκστρατευτικών μυρμηγκιών τα οποία βρίσκονται κυρίως στην κεντρική και ανατολική Αφρική , αν και η περιοχή εκτείνεται και στη Νότια Αφρική και στην τροπική Ασία .

Ο όρος siafu είναι δάνεια λέξη από τη Σουαχίλι, και είναι μια από τις πολλές παρόμοιες λέξεις από τις περιφερειακές γλώσσες των Μπαντού , οι οποίες χρησιμοποιούνται από τους αυτόχθονες πληθυσμούς για να περιγράψουν διάφορα είδη αυτών των μυρμηγκιών.

Σε αντίθεση με τα μέλη του Νέου Κόσμου της πρώην υποοικογένειας Ecitoninae (τώρα Dorylinae), μέλη αυτού του γένους σχηματίζουν προσωρινές μυρμηγκοφωλιές οι οποίες διαρκούν από λίγες ημέρες έως τρεις μήνες. Κάθε αποικία, μπορεί να περιέχει πάνω από 20 εκατομμύρια άτομα. Όπως και με τους πανομοιότυπούς τους στο Νέο Κόσμο, υπάρχει μια στρατιωτική τάξη μεταξύ των εργατριών, η οποία είναι μεγαλύτερη, με πολύ μεγάλο κεφάλι και με δακγάνες ωσάν τσιμπίδες. Είναι ικανές να τσιμπούν, αλλά πολύ σπάνια το κάνουν, βασιζόμενες αντ' αυτού στους ισχυρούς ψαλιδίζοντες σιαγόνες των.

Siafu ( Swahili )

Siafu ni aina za sisimizi wa jenasi Dorylus katika familia Formicidae .

Wadudu hao husaidiana katika kazi mbalimbali kama vile ulinzi , usafi na nyingine nyingi. [1]

Katika kazi ya ulinzi wadudu hao hufanya kazi ya kumlinda malkia wao na baadhi ya vitu vyao na makazi yao.

Siafu hutambuana kwa kugusana vichwa kama ilivyo jamii ya sisimizi wote.

• ↑ National Geographic (2011-05-10). Ants . National Geographic | Animals . Iliwekwa mnamo 2019-06-17.

Siafu: Brief Summary ( Swahili )

Wadudu hao husaidiana katika kazi mbalimbali kama vile ulinzi , usafi na nyingine nyingi.

Dorylus , also known as driver ants , safari ants , or siafu , is a large genus of army ants found primarily in central and east Africa , although the range also extends to southern Africa and tropical Asia . The term siafu is a loanword from Swahili , [2] and is one of numerous similar words from regional Bantu languages used by indigenous peoples to describe various species of these ants. Unlike the New World members of the former subfamily Ecitoninae (now Dorylinae ), members of this genus form temporary subterranean bivouacs in underground cavities which they excavate and inhabit - either for a few days or up to three months. Also unlike some New World army ants, driver ants are not specialized predators of other species of ant, instead being more generalistic with a diet consisting of a diversity of arthropods. Colonies are enormous compared to other army ants and can contain over 20 million individuals. As with their American counterparts, workers exhibit caste polymorphism with the soldiers having particularly large heads that power their scissor-like mandibles . They are capable of stinging , but very rarely do so, relying instead on their powerful shearing jaws. [3] Driver ant queens are the largest living ants known, with the largest measuring between 40 - 63 millimeters (1.5 - 2.4 inches) in total body length depending on their physiological condition. [4]

Seasonally, when food supplies become short, they leave the hill and form marching columns of up to 50,000,000 ants, which are considered a menace to people, though they can be easily avoided; a column can only travel about 20 metres in an hour. It is for those unable to move, or when the columns pass through homes, that there is the greatest risk. [5] Their presence is, conversely, beneficial to certain human communities, such as the Maasai , as they perform a pest prevention service in farming communities, consuming the majority of other crop-pests, from insects to large rats . [6] For example, driver ants prey on larvae of the African sugarcane borer , a pest moth in sub-Saharan Africa.

The characteristic long columns of ants will fiercely defend themselves against anything that attacks them. [3] Columns are arranged with the smaller ants being flanked by the larger soldier ants. These instinctively take up positions as sentries, and set a perimeter corridor through which the smaller ants can run safely. Their bite is severely painful, each soldier leaving two puncture wounds when removed. Removal is difficult, however, as their jaws are extremely strong, and one can pull a soldier ant in two without it releasing its hold. Large numbers of ants can kill small or immobilized animals and strip them to husks. A large part of their diet is earthworms. All Dorylus species are blind, and, like most varieties of ants, communicate primarily through pheromones . [3]

In the mating season, alates (winged drones, queens of driver-ant species do not grow wings) are formed. The drones are larger than the soldiers and the queens are even larger. Driver ants do not perform a nuptial flight, but mate on the ground and the queens go off to establish new colonies. As with most ants , workers and soldiers are sterile females, and so do not reproduce. [3]

Male driver ants, sometimes known as "sausage flies" (a term also applied to males of New World dorylines) due to their bloated, sausage-like abdomens , are among the largest ant morphs and were originally believed to be members of a different species. Males leave the colony soon after hatching but are drawn to the scent trail left by a column of siafu once they reach sexual maturity. When a colony of driver ants encounters a male, they tear his wings off and carry him back to the nest to be mated with a virgin queen. As in the majority of ant species, males die shortly afterward. [3] After mating, the queen will lay up to 1,000,000 eggs per month.

Such is the strength of the ant's jaws that, in East Africa, they are used as natural emergency sutures . Various East African indigenous tribal peoples (e.g. Maasai moran), when suffering from a gash in the bush, will use the soldiers to stitch the wound by getting the ants to bite on both sides of the gash, then breaking off the body. This use of ants as makeshift surgical staples creates a seal that can hold for days at a time, and the procedure can be repeated, if necessary, allowing natural healing to commence. [7]

Several species in this genus carry out raids on termitaria , paralyzing or killing termites and carting them back to the nest. [8]

Colonies of driver-ant species have only one queen. When she dies, the surviving workers may try to join another colony, but in other cases, when two colonies of the same driver-ant species meet, they usually change the marching directions to avoid conflicts.

• D. acutus Santschi , 1937
• D. aethiopicus Emery , 1895
• D. affinis Shuckard, 1840
• D. agressor Santschi, 1923
• D. alluaudi Santschi, 1914
• D. atratus Smith, 1859
• D. atriceps Shuckard, 1840
• D. attenuatus Shuckard, 1840
• D. bequaerti Forel, 1913
• D. bishyiganus (Boven, 1972)
• D. braunsi Emery, 1895
• D. brevipennis Emery, 1895
• D. brevis Santschi, 1919
• D. buyssoni Santschi, 1910
• D. congolensis Santschi, 1910
• D. conradti Emery, 1895
• D. depilis Emery, 1895
• D. diadema Gerstaecker, 1859
• D. distinctus Santschi, 1910
• D. ductor Santschi, 1939
• D. emeryi Mayr, 1896
• D. erraticus (Smith, 1865)
• D. faurei Arnold, 1946
• D. fimbriatus (Shuckard, 1840)
• D. fulvus (Westwood, 1839)
• D. funereus Emery, 1895
• D. furcatus (Gerstaecker, 1872)
• D. fuscipennis (Emery, 1892)
• D. gaudens Santschi, 1919
• D. ghanensis Boven, 1975
• D. gribodoi Emery, 1892 – includes D. gerstaeckeri Emery, 1895
• D. helvolus (Linnaeus, 1764)
• D. katanensis Stitz, 1911
• D. kohli Wasmann, 1904
• D. labiatus Shuckard, 1840
• D. laevigatus (Smith, 1857)
• Dorylus lamottei (= D. gribodoi ) Bernard, 1953
• D. leo Santschi, 1919
• D. mandibularis Mayr, 1896
• D. mayri Santschi, 1912
• D. moestus Emery, 1895
• D. molestus Wheeler, 1922
• D. montanus Santschi, 1910
• D. niarembensis (Boven, 1972)
• D. nigricans Illiger , 1802
• D. ocellatus (Stitz, 1910)
• D. orientalis Westwood, 1835
• D. politus Emery, 1901
• D. rufescens Santschi, 1915
• D. savagei Emery, 1895
• D. schoutedeni Santschi, 1923
• D. spininodis Emery, 1901
• D. stadelmanni Emery, 1895
• D. stanleyi Forel, 1909
• D. staudingeri Emery, 1895
• D. striatidens Santschi, 1910
• D. termitarius Wasmann, 1911
• D. titan Santschi, 1923
• D. vishnui Wheeler, 1913
• D. westwoodii (Shuckard, 1840)
• D. wilverthi Emery, 1899
• ^ Bolton, B. (2014). "Dorylus" . AntCat . Retrieved 17 July 2014 .
• ^ Swahili translation Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
• ^ a b c d e Hölldobler, Bert ; Wilson, Edward O. (1990). The Ants . Belknap Press of Harvard University Press . ISBN 0-674-04075-9 .
• ^ Kronauer, Daniel (2020). Army Ants Nature's Ultimate Social Hunters . Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-674-24155-8 .
• ^ "NOVA - Master of the Killer Ants - PBS" . www.pbs.org .
• ^ Hastings, H.** Conling, D.E., Graham, D.Y.* & (1988-03-01). "Notes on the natural host surveys and laboratory rearing of Goniozus natalensis Gordh (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), a parasitoid of Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae from Cyperus papyrus L. in Southern Africa" (PDF). Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa
• ^ "From Ants to Staples: History and Ideas Concerning Suturing Techniques" . ResearchGate .
• ^ Biotropics Archived January 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

Une colonie de Magnan ou Dorylus peut accueillir une vingtaine de millions d'individus. Contrairement à leurs cousines américaines Eciton , les Dorylus ne sont pas entièrement nomades et créent des fourmilières temporaires, pouvant durer de quelques jours à plusieurs mois. Lorsque la nourriture devient moins abondante, elles migrent, formant une colonne parcourant environ 20 mètres par heure.

Les fourmis magnans disposent d'une caste de soldats, plus gros que les ouvrières et pourvus de puissantes mandibules. Lorsque la colonie se déplace, ces soldats se postent en sentinelles, formant un cordon de sécurité le long de la route qu'empruntent les ouvrières et la reine et attaquant tout intrus.

Les membres sexués sont plus gros que les soldats et pourvus d'ailes leur permettant de quitter la colonie pour en former une nouvelle. Les mâles meurent peu après l'accouplement avec les femelles, qui sont autant de futures reines.

La reine est le plus gros membre de la colonie. Sa tâche consiste uniquement à pondre. Lors des déplacements, elle est sévèrement gardée, sa mort entraînant l'extinction de la colonie.

Utilisation

La morsure des soldats est très douloureuse. Ils lâchent difficilement prise, ce qui a conduit des peuples indigènes d'Afrique orientale, notamment les Maasaï , à les utiliser comme points de suture en faisant pincer la plaie aux soldats puis en arrachant le corps.

Au Cameroun , la fourmi magnan est aussi utilisée pour favoriser l' allaitement [ 1 ] .

Alimentation

Les magnans sont carnivores. Lors du déplacement de leur colonie, elles peuvent s'attaquer à des proies bien plus grosses qu'elles : rats, serpents, crabes d'eau douce, scorpions, mantes religieuses, etc. Une colonie magnan en mouvement est considérée comme dangereuse pour l'homme, bien que sa vitesse de déplacement (20 mètres par heure) la rende facile à éviter. C'est principalement pour les individus ne pouvant pas se déplacer (nourrissons, infirmes) qu'une telle colonie est dangereuse.

Dans la culture populaire

• Les fourmis magnans ont donné leur surnom aux joueurs et supporteurs du Stella Club d'Adjamé , un club de football de Côte d'Ivoire .
• Dans le film documentaire La Citadelle assiégée (2006), ce sont des fourmis de ce genre qui affrontent des termites .
• Dans le film Indiana Jones et le Royaume du crâne de cristal (2008), les héros et les méchants sont confrontés à une super-colonie de siafus géantes (2 à 3 cm) mangeuses d'hommes. Ce terme est faux puisque la scène est censée se dérouler en Amazonie et non en Afrique. De plus l'apparence des fourmis indique plus visiblement des Cheliomyrmex andicola (de) , plus connues sous le nom de Marabunta et vivant effectivement dans la jungle amazonienne.
• Les fourmis magnans font aussi l'objet de l'une des nouvelles de son recueil Paradis sur mesure (2008) : Les Dents de la terre .
• Un épisode important de son roman Troisième humanité (2012) confronte également deux personnages à une colonie de magnans en déplacement.

Liste des espèces

• Dorylus acutus Santschi, 1937
• Dorylus aethiopicus Emery, 1895
• Dorylus affinis Shuckard, 1840
• Dorylus agressor Santschi, 1923
• Dorylus alluaudi Santschi, 1914
• Dorylus atratus Smith, 1859
• Dorylus atriceps Shuckard, 1840
• Dorylus attenuatus Shuckard, 1840
• Dorylus bequaerti Forel, 1913
• Dorylus bishyiganus (Boven, 1972)
• Dorylus braunsi Emery, 1895
• Dorylus brevipennis Emery, 1895
• Dorylus brevis Santschi, 1919
• Dorylus buyssoni Santschi, 1910
• Dorylus congolensis Santschi, 1910
• Dorylus conradti Emery, 1895
• Dorylus depilis Emery, 1895
• Dorylus diadema Gerstaecker, 1859
• Dorylus distinctus Santschi, 1910
• Dorylus ductor Santschi, 1939
• Dorylus emeryi Mayr, 1896
• Dorylus erraticus (Smith, 1865)
• Dorylus faurei Arnold, 1946
• Dorylus fimbriatus (Shuckard, 1840)
• Dorylus fulvus (Westwood, 1839)
• Dorylus funereus Emery, 1895
• Dorylus furcatus (Gerstaecker, 1872)
• Dorylus fuscipennis (Emery, 1892)
• Dorylus gaudens Santschi, 1919
• Dorylus gerstaeckeri Emery, 1895
• Dorylus ghanensis Boven, 1975
• Dorylus gribodoi Emery, 1892
• Dorylus helvolus (Linnaeus, 1764)
• Dorylus katanensis Stitz, 1911
• Dorylus kohli Wasmann, 1904
• Dorylus labiatus Shuckard, 1840
• Dorylus laevigatus (Smith, 1857)
• Dorylus lamottei Bernard, 1953
• Dorylus leo Santschi, 1919
• Dorylus mandibularis Mayr, 1896
• Dorylus mayri Santschi, 1912
• Dorylus moestus Emery, 1895
• Dorylus montanus Santschi, 1910
• Dorylus niarembensis (Boven, 1972)
• Dorylus nigricans Illiger, 1802
• Dorylus ocellatus (Stitz, 1910)
• Dorylus orientalis Westwood, 1835
• Dorylus politus Emery, 1901
• Dorylus rufescens Santschi, 1915
• Dorylus savagei Emery, 1895
• Dorylus schoutedeni Santschi, 1923
• Dorylus spininodis Emery, 1901
• Dorylus stadelmanni Emery, 1895
• Dorylus stanleyi Forel, 1909
• Dorylus staudingeri Emery, 1895
• Dorylus striatidens Santschi, 1910
• Dorylus termitarius Wasmann, 1911
• Dorylus titan Santschi, 1923
• Dorylus vishnui Wheeler, 1913
• Dorylus westwoodii (Shuckard, 1840)
• Dorylus wilverthi Emery, 1899

Notes et références

• ↑ Mathieu Bidan (texte) et Gildas Paré (photos), « Femmes mutilées et corps froissés » , sur vice.com , 31 juillet 2015 (consulté le 11 mai 2017) .

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( French )

Les fourmis légionnaires du genre Dorylus, appelées également magnan, ou siafu en langue swahili , sont originaires d' Afrique centrale et orientale. Toutes les espèces sont aveugles et communiquent donc principalement par le biais de phéromones .

Dorylus ( Italian )

Dorylus Fabricius, 1793 è un genere di formiche legionarie della sottofamiglia Dorylinae [1] , conosciute anche come "formiche scacciatrici", "formiche safari", "formiche Matabele" o "siafu". Può essere rinvenuto principalmente nell' Africa centrale ed orientale, ma il suo areale si estende fino all' Asia tropicale.

A differenza delle formiche legionarie del nuovo mondo (appartenenti al genere Eciton ), esse costruiscono formicai veri e propri anche se temporanei (con una durata media da pochi giorni a pochi mesi). Ogni colonia può contenere più di 20 milioni di individui. Come nelle loro controparti del nuovo mondo, in ogni colonia è presente anche una casta di soldati (major) oltre alle normali operaie; essi si distinguono da queste ultime per il capo molto grande e le mandibole a tenaglia. Sono capaci di pungere, ma raramente adottano questa tattica difensiva, basandosi quasi interamente sulle loro potenti mascelle.

• 1 Ciclo vitale
• 3 Tassonomia
• 5 Altri progetti
• 6.1 Galleria d'immagini

Ciclo vitale

Stagionalmente, quando la disponibilità di cibo comincia a decrescere, esse abbandonano il formicaio e formano delle colonne di marcia con più di 50 milioni di formiche che, per il loro elevatissimo numero, sono considerate potenzialmente pericolose anche per gli esseri umani, nonostante possano essere facilmente evitate; infatti una colonna può percorrere solo 20 metri di distanza in un'ora. Il maggior livello di rischio si manifesta per persone incapaci di muoversi o quando una colonna passa attraverso le case. Sono stati effettivamente riportati casi di persone - normalmente invalidi, bambini o in ogni caso debilitati che non hanno avuto la forza di scappare - uccise e talvolta divorate dalle formiche. Spesso la morte sopraggiunge per soffocamento. La presenza di questa specie è tuttavia benefica per certe comunità umane, come i Maasai , poiché esse forniscono un servizio di prevenzione dei parassiti nelle comunità agricole, mangiando la maggior parte dei parassiti del grano, compresi insetti e ratti di grossa taglia. Le caratteristiche, lunghe colonne di formiche tendono a difendersi violentemente contro qualsiasi cosa incontrino sul loro percorso. Tali colonne sono strutturate in modo che le più piccole e deboli operaie siano affiancate e difese da più strette schiere di soldati, lunghi dai 10 ai 15 mm. Essi prendono automaticamente posizione come sentinelle e creano un perimetro percorribile in cui le operaie possono correre in maggiore sicurezza. Esistono due tipi di operaie: quelle grandi la metà dei soldati, hanno l'addome affusolato e la testa più piccola dei soldati, il loro compito è di massacrare le prede e spezzarle, con l'ausilio spesso delle mandibole dei soldati. Ma le formiche più piccole della colonia, sono le operaie secondarie, le più numerose, lunghe solo 2–3 mm. Nonostante la mole inferiore, possono demolire, costruire, e ricavare passaggi nella terra, aiutando anche le operaie primarie nel trasporto del cibo.

Il loro morso è molto doloroso e ogni soldato lascia due piccole ferite puntiformi quando rimosso. La rimozione è altresì difficile, poiché le loro mandibole sono estremamente forti, e una persona può tirare un soldato tanto violentemente da strapparne il corpo senza però riuscire a liberarsi dal suo morso. Un gran numero di formiche può uccidere animali piccoli o immobilizzati e mangiarne le carni, ma la gran parte della loro dieta è costituita da vermi di terra. Tutte le specie del genere Dorylus sono cieche e comunicano, come molte altre specie di formiche, attraverso feromoni .

Nella stagione degli accoppiamenti vengono generati gli esemplari alati fertili (fuchi e regine vergini). I fuchi sono ancora più grandi dei soldati ma un po' più piccoli delle regine. Maschi e femmine adulti si accoppiano in volo, e la regina fecondata va a costruire una nuova colonia. Come nella maggior parte delle formiche, operaie e soldati sono sterili. I maschi delle formiche scacciatrici, talvolta vengono conosciuti come "mosche salsiccia" (termine anche utilizzato per le formiche legionarie del nuovo mondo) a causa del loro grande addome, ed erano inizialmente considerati come appartenenti ad un'altra specie. I fuchi abbandonano la colonia qualche tempo dopo la nascita, ma sono attratti dalle scie di feromoni rilasciate dalle scie di formiche quando raggiungono la maturità sessuale. Quando una colonia incontra un maschio, le operaie lo catturano, ne strappano le ali e lo conducono al nido per farlo accoppiare con una regina vergine. Come in tutte le formiche, il fuco muore poco dopo.

A causa della forza del loro morso, nell'Africa orientale esse sono usate come suture naturali di emergenza. I Maasai moroni, quando hanno un taglio profondo nella pelle, spesso usano i soldati per chiudere la ferita, facendosi mordere ai due lati della lesione e successivamente recidendo il corpo dell'insetto. Tale punto può durare anche per più giorni.

La regina delle Dorylus , con i suoi 6 cm, è la più grande formica al mondo. Nella stagione calda, quando i formicai sono troppo popolati, la regina comincia a deporre uova da cui nasceranno maschi e regine. Normalmente, nasce una sola regina che, completato lo sviluppo , si distacca le ali e subisce delle metamorfosi accrescendo il suo addome, inspessendo le zampe e diventando quasi una formica neotenica , ovvero simile ad una grossa larva con le zampe, che depone uova in continuazione. Nel formicaio, quindi, si ritrovano due o più regine che cominciano a suddividersi: la metà della popolazione di formiche si allea alla nuova regina, l'altra metà resta con la regina più vecchia. Se considerassimo i formicai di dorylus come soli individui, la formazione di una nuova colonia equivarrebbe ad un parto. Una regina può vivere anche più di vent'anni, ognuno dei quali è caratterizzato dall'accoppiamento con un diverso maschio proveniente da un altro nido. I maschi fecondano anche le regine preesistenti, e non solo quelle vergini per formare nuovi nidi. I maschi sono di qualche mm più piccoli delle regine, hanno le ali e il loro addome è a forma di salsiccia. Dopo l'accoppiamento, essi muoiono entro pochi giorni.

Il genere Dorylus comprende le seguenti specie : [1]

• D. bishyiganus Boven, 1972
• D. erraticus Smith, 1865
• D. fimbriatus Shuckard, 1840
• D. fulvus Westwood, 1839
• D. furcatus Gerstaecker, 1872
• D. fuscipennis Emery, 1892
• D. gerstaeckeri Emery, 1895
• D. gribodoi Emery, 1892
• D. helvolus Linnaeus, 1764
• D. laevigatus Smith, 1857
• D. lamottei Bernard, 1953
• D. niarembensis Boven, 1972
• D. ocellatus Stitz, 1910
• D. westwoodii Shuckard, 1840
• ^ a b Dorylus , su AntWeb . URL consultato il 6 febbraio 2019 .

Galleria d'immagini A male "sausage fly", ready to have its wings torn off and carried to a queen for mating , su azfotos.com . URL consultato l'8 giugno 2008 (archiviato dall' url originale il 15 maggio 2008) . Swarms of driver ants (note here they are called matabele ants, an uncommon name) , su taos-telecommunity.org . URL consultato l'8 giugno 2008 (archiviato dall' url originale il 27 maggio 2008) .

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Italian )

Dorylus Fabricius, 1793 è un genere di formiche legionarie della sottofamiglia Dorylinae , conosciute anche come "formiche scacciatrici", "formiche safari", "formiche Matabele" o "siafu". Può essere rinvenuto principalmente nell' Africa centrale ed orientale, ma il suo areale si estende fino all' Asia tropicale.

Dorylus ( Dutch; Flemish )

Dorylus is een geslacht van trekmieren dat uit ruim zestig soorten bestaat. De meeste soorten komen voor in Centraal- en Oost-Afrika . Hier staan ze bekend als siafu , een leenwoord uit het Swahili . Verder beslaat het verspreidingsgebied van het geslacht Zuidelijk Afrika en tropisch Azië , inclusief Zuidoost-Azië .

• 1 Beschrijving
• 2.1 Voortplanting
• 3 Relatie met de mens

Beschrijving

Een kolonie kan meer dan twintig miljoen mieren bevatten. Ze zijn allen blind en communiceren voornamelijk door het gebruik van feromonen . Aan het hoofd van een kolonie staat een koningin , die wegens haar omvang constante verzorging van haar werksters nodig heeft. Dit zijn allen steriele vrouwtjes.

De soldaten vormen een klasse binnen de werksters. Zij zijn aanzienlijk groter en hebben in verhouding een zeer grote kop. Soldaten hebben een angel , maar gebruiken deze zelden. Hun tangvormige kaken zijn voorzien van sterke spieren en hebben een krachtige grip. Een beet van een Dorylus -soldaat staat bekend als zeer pijnlijk.

Een kolonie bestaat met uitzondering van de larven alleen uit vrouwelijke dieren. Mannelijke Dorylus -soorten zijn kleiner dan de koninginnen, maar nog altijd aanzienlijk groter dan de werksters. Zij hebben een groot, worstvormig achterlijf en vleugels, dit in tegenstelling tot de overige mieren.

Gedrag en levenswijze

De mieren van het geslacht Dorylus bouwen elke avond een bivak . [1] Een bivaklocatie kan enkele dagen tot drie maanden lang in gebruik worden genomen. In de omgeving zoeken werksters overdag naar voedsel, waarbij ze worden bewaakt door de grotere soldaten. Ze jagen voornamelijk op aardwormen en andere ongewervelden . Wanneer zie op een geschikt prooidier stuiten, scheiden ze een feromoon af die de nabije werksters waarschuwt. Het dier wordt door de kaken in stukken geknipt, die vervolgens naar het nest worden gebracht. Daar de koningin en de werksters die haar verzorgen de bivaklocatie vrijwel niet verlaten, zijn ze compleet afhankelijk van de foeragerende werksters afhankelijk.

Wanneer het voedsel schaars wordt, verlaat de kolonie de bivaklocatie. Ze vormen gezamenlijk een colonne, waarbij soldaten hun positie innemen langs de flanken. Een dergelijke colonne kan een snelheid bereiken van zo'n twintig meter per uur. Ze vormt een bedreiging voor alles wat op hun pad ligt en kleine of zwakke dieren worden regelmatig gedood.

Voortplanting

Dorylus -soorten kennen geen bruidsvlucht , daar de koningin geen vleugels kan krijgen. Wanneer een kolonie in het voortplantingsseizoen een volwassen mannetje treft, ontdoen werksters hem van zijn vleugels en dragen hem naar een nieuwe koningin. Korte tijd na het paren sterft het mannetje en verlaat de bevruchtte koningin de kolonie om een nieuwe te stichten.

Een koningin kan tot wel een miljoen eieren per maand leggen. Wanneer zij sterft, zullen de werksters in de meeste gevallen proberen om zich bij een andere kolonie aan te sluiten.

Relatie met de mens

Dorylus -colonnes vormen een bedreiging voor de mens wanneer een route door een woning loopt. De mieren worden echter door de Masai en andere Afrikaanse volken gewaardeerd, omdat ze gewassen beschermen tegen ratten , insecten en ander ongedierte. In Oost-Afrika worden de kaken van de soldaten gebruikt als hechtmiddel . Een dergelijke hechting houdt het tot wel enkele dagen.

• D. bishyiganus (Boven , 1972)
• D. erraticus (Smith , 1865)
• D. fimbriatus (Shuckard , 1840)
• D. fulvus (Westwood , 1839)
• D. furcatus (Gerstaecker , 1872)
• D. fuscipennis (Emery , 1892)
• D. gribodoi Emery , 1892 [2]
• D. helvolus (Linnaeus , 1764)
• D. laevigatus (Smith , 1857)
• D. niarembensis (Boven , 1972)
• D. ocellatus (Stitz , 1910)
• D. westwoodii (Shuckard , 1840)
• ( en ) Bert Hölldobler, Edward O. Wilson , The Ants (Harvard University Press, 1990)
• ( en ) AntWeb: Genus: Dorylus Fabricius, 1793
• ↑ Dit in tegenstelling tot trekmieren van de Nieuwe Wereld
• ↑ synoniem D. gerstaeckeri Emery , 1895
• Dit artikel of een eerdere versie ervan is (gedeeltelijk) vertaald vanaf de Engelstalige Wikipedia , die onder de licentie Creative Commons Naamsvermelding/Gelijk delen valt. Zie de bewerkingsgeschiedenis aldaar.

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Dutch; Flemish )

Dorylus is een geslacht van trekmieren dat uit ruim zestig soorten bestaat. De meeste soorten komen voor in Centraal- en Oost-Afrika . Hier staan ze bekend als siafu, een leenwoord uit het Swahili . Verder beslaat het verspreidingsgebied van het geslacht Zuidelijk Afrika en tropisch Azië , inclusief Zuidoost-Azië .

Dorylus ( Norwegian )

Dorylus spp. er en gruppe (underfamilie) av maur . Disse, ved siden av underfamilien Aenictinae , er de kjente hærmaurene fra den Gamle verden , mens den beslektede gruppen Ecitoniinae har en tilsvarende rolle i den Nye verden . Man kjenner ca. 60 arter i slekten, to av dem forekommer i Sørvest-Europa.

• 3 Kraftige kjever
• 4 Utbredelse
• 5 Systematisk inndeling
• 6 Litteratur
• 7 Eksterne lenker

Dorylinae har flere adskilte former, i tillegg til hanner, dronninger og vanlige, små arbeidere finnes det soldater med store hoder og meget store kjever som har til oppgave å verne de andre maurene under deres framrykking. Disse stiller seg på rekke med reiste kjever og danner et ugjennomtrengelig espalier over kolonnen av framrykkende arbeidere. Maurene er slanke og langbeinte med store hoder og meget kraftige kjever. Arbeiderne mangler øyne og er blinde. Som vanlig for maur kommuniserer de mest med feromoner. De kjønnede individene er totalt ulike arbeiderne. Hannene er de største av alle maur, med ganske store vinger, lite hode, lange, tynne antenner og en kraftig oppsvulmet bakkropp. De lever ganske kort tid og dør kort tid etter at de har parret seg.

Disse maurene er kjent for å vandre rundt i svære kolonier som angriper på bred front og dreper alle smådyr som ikke greier å komme seg unna. Det sirkulerer mange fortellinger om at de har drept og spist mennesker som ikke har kunnet komme seg unna, men dette er dårlig dokumentert. Siden kolonnene bare beveger seg med en fart av ca. 20 meter i timen, utgjør de sjelden noen stor fare. På den andre siden er de nyttedyr i og med at de utrydder skadedyr både fra avlinger og hytter. En koloni kan omfatte minst 20 millioner arbeidere. Disse maurene lager tuer, men disse er bare midlertidige og brukes noen dager opptil et par måneder før maurene igjen begir seg ut på vandring. Når maurene er på jakt, sprer kolonien seg ut i vifteform og angriper på bred front.

Kraftige kjever

Disse maurene har giftbrodd, men bruker den sjelden. De bruker i stedet de meget kraftige kjevene til å verne seg. Dette har blitt utnyttet av masaiene i Øst-Afrika. Om man får et sår, kan man bruke slike maur til å lukke det. Man fanger noen maur, og plasserer dem over såret slik at de biter sammen omkring såret og klemmer det sammen. Så vrir man hodet av maurene. Det avrevne hodet vil holde grepet, og dermed holde såret lukket, i flere dager før det faller av.

De fleste artene lever i Sentral- og Øst-Afrika, men det finnes også noen i det sørlige Asia. To arter lever i det sørvestlige Europa, fra Spania i vest til Italia i øst.

Systematisk inndeling

• Dorylus fulvus (Westwood, 1839 )
• Dorylus helvolus ( Linnaeus , 1764 )
• Bolton, B. 1995. A New General catalogue of the Ants of the World. Harvard University Press. 504 sider. ISBN 0-674-61514-X .
• Hölldobler, B. og Wilson, E.O. 1994. Journey to the Ants . Belknap Press. ISBN 0-674-48525-4

Eksterne lenker

• Tree Of Life: Dorylinae Bilder
• Antweb: Dorylinae

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Norwegian )

Dorylus ( polish ).

Dorylus – rodzaj mrówek z podrodziny Ecitoninae . Należą tu paleotropikalne mrówki koczujące (nomadne).

• ↑ Dorylus , w: Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( ang. ) .

Linki zewnętrzne

• Genus: Dorylus – AntWeb . [dostęp 2009-10-20].

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Polish )

Dorylus ( portuguese ).

Encontradas principalmente no centro e no leste da África , o macho das formigas do gênero Dorylus (nome comum: formiga-safári [ 1 ] ) é classificado como a maior das formigas conhecidas.

Às vezes referidas como "sausage flies" (moscas-linguiça), devido ao formato do seu abdomên, antes acreditava-se que eram membros de outra espécie. Os macho deixam a colônia ao nascer, mas são guiados pelo odor exalado pela trilha de formigas quando atingem a maturidade sexual.

Quando a colônia encontra um macho, arrancam suas asas e o levam para dentro do formigueiro para acasalar com uma fêmea virgem, em seguida, como em todas as espécies de formiga, o macho morre.

• Dorylus bishyiganus Boven, 1972
• Dorylus erraticus Smith, 1865
• Dorylus fimbriatus Shuckard, 1840
• Dorylus fulvus Westwood, 1839
• Dorylus furcatus Gerstaecker, 1872
• Dorylus fuscipennis Emery, 1892
• Dorylus helvolus Linnaeus, 1764
• Dorylus laevigatus Smith, 1857
• Dorylus niarembensis Boven, 1972
• Dorylus ocellatus Stitz, 1910
• Dorylus westwoodii Shuckard, 1840

Referências

• ↑ Glossário Entomológico Brasileiro . Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCTEM, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro .

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Portuguese )

Encontradas principalmente no centro e no leste da África , o macho das formigas do gênero Dorylus (nome comum: formiga-safári) é classificado como a maior das formigas conhecidas.

Dorylus ( Vietnamese )

Dorylus , còn được gọi là kiến ​​lái xe, kiến ​​safari hay siafu, là một loài kiến quân đội lớn được tìm thấy chủ yếu ở miền trung và đông châu Phi, mặc dù phạm vi này cũng mở rộng đến miền nam châu Phi và châu Á nhiệt đới. Thuật ngữ siafu là một từ mượn từ tiếng Swour, và là một trong nhiều từ tương tự từ các ngôn ngữ vùng Baltu được sử dụng bởi người bản địa để mô tả các loài kiến ​​khác nhau. Không giống như các thành viên Thế giới mới của phân họ cũ Ecitoninae (nay là Dorylinae), các thành viên của chi này hình thành nên những cơn đau tạm thời kéo dài từ vài ngày cho đến ba tháng. Mỗi thuộc địa có thể chứa hơn 20 triệu cá thể. Như với các đối tác Thế giới mới của chúng, có một lớp kiến chiến binh trong số các kiến thợ, lớn hơn, với cái đầu rất lớn và những quả quýt giống như gọng kìm. Chúng có khả năng châm chích, nhưng rất hiếm khi làm như vậy, thay vào đó dựa vào hàm cắt mạnh mẽ của chúng.

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Vietnamese )

Dorylus, còn được gọi là kiến ​​lái xe, kiến ​​safari hay siafu, là một loài kiến quân đội lớn được tìm thấy chủ yếu ở miền trung và đông châu Phi, mặc dù phạm vi này cũng mở rộng đến miền nam châu Phi và châu Á nhiệt đới. Thuật ngữ siafu là một từ mượn từ tiếng Swour, và là một trong nhiều từ tương tự từ các ngôn ngữ vùng Baltu được sử dụng bởi người bản địa để mô tả các loài kiến ​​khác nhau. Không giống như các thành viên Thế giới mới của phân họ cũ Ecitoninae (nay là Dorylinae), các thành viên của chi này hình thành nên những cơn đau tạm thời kéo dài từ vài ngày cho đến ba tháng. Mỗi thuộc địa có thể chứa hơn 20 triệu cá thể. Như với các đối tác Thế giới mới của chúng, có một lớp kiến chiến binh trong số các kiến thợ, lớn hơn, với cái đầu rất lớn và những quả quýt giống như gọng kìm. Chúng có khả năng châm chích, nhưng rất hiếm khi làm như vậy, thay vào đó dựa vào hàm cắt mạnh mẽ của chúng.

Dorylus: Brief Summary ( Russian )

矛蚁属 ( chinese ).

矛蚁屬 （ Dorylus Fabricius, 1793）， 烈蟻屬 ，又称 狩猎蚁屬 （ 英语： Safari ants ），隸屬於 蟻科 矛蚁亚科 （Dorylinae）。主要分布在 非洲 大陆中部的南部地区，亚洲 热带地区 也有分布。一个蚁群形成的时间为几天至三个月左右，所拥有成员的数量可超过二十万只，部分物種兵蚁头部巨大且大顎特化 [1] 。

生命周期和对人类的影响

它们 周期性 地活动，覓食階段的时候，它们会形成數列的蚂蚁大军，在棲地中移動狩猎。这经常影响到人类，尽管每小时二十米緩慢的移动速度，足以讓人們尽快地转移到安全的地方，由於它们在前進的過程中幾乎會摧毀一切路上的事物，因此行軍時穿越人类居住时能夠造成極大的危害 [1] ，若人不进行安全转移可造成窒息或被杀害的危险，尤其是体弱者和年轻人。所谓事物利弊共存，它们的覓食行為也會消灭对农业有害的 害虫 和大 田鼠 等等对人类不利的事物，有人將其暱稱為「病虫害防治服务」。

• ^ 1.0 1.1 Hölldobler, Bert ; Wilson, Edward O. The Ants . Belknap Press of Harvard University Press . 1990. ISBN 0674040759 .

矛蚁属: Brief Summary ( Chinese )

矛蚁屬（Dorylus Fabricius, 1793），烈蟻屬，又称狩猎蚁屬（英语：Safari ants），隸屬於 蟻科 矛蚁亚科 （Dorylinae）。主要分布在 非洲 大陆中部的南部地区，亚洲 热带地区 也有分布。一个蚁群形成的时间为几天至三个月左右，所拥有成员的数量可超过二十万只，部分物種兵蚁头部巨大且大顎特化。

장님개미 ( Korean )

장님개미 는 개미 과에 속하는 한 속 으로서 군대개미 의 일종이다. 주로 중·동 아프리카 에 서식하고, 아시아 의 열대지역에 분포하기도 한다. 같은 에사이토니네이아과 의 신세계 개미들과는 달리 임시로 둥지를 짓기도 하나, 이 둥지들은 며칠만 갈 뿐이다. 장님개미의 각 군체는 2천만 이상의 개체를 포함한다. 장님개미 역시 계급이 있다( 군대개미 의 계급 참고). 침으로 쏠 수 있으나 매우 드물며 주로 강력한 큰턱으로 공격한다. [1]

계절적으로 먹이가 부족한 시기가 되면 그들이 서식하는 언덕을 출발하여 최대 5천만의 개체가 이동하며 인간에게 위협이 된다고 생각되나 쉽게피할 수 있다(1시간에 20m밖에 이동하지 못한다). 장님개미들로 인해 사람이 죽는 경우는 그 사람이 움직일 수 없거나 어떤 밀폐된 공간에 있을 때가 대다수이다. 사람이 장님개미들에게 죽임을 당할 때 거의 질식사로 죽으며 [2] , 이들 개미들이 사체를 토막내면서 결국은 군체가 먹게 된다. 그러나 이런 경우를 제외하면 장님개미들은 이로운 편인데, 그 이유는 살충제 역할을 훌륭히 수행하기 때문이다. 때로는 커다란 쥐를 제거하기도 한다. [1] 이 거대한 군체들은 자신들에게 대항하는 모든 것을 격렬하게 공격한다. [1] 장님개미들 중에서도 특히 대형일개미의 공격은 매우 아프며, 대형일개미에 한번 물리면 두개의 깊은 상처가 생긴다. 이들의 턱의 힘이 얼마나 억센지 대형일개미를 제거하려고 당기면 머리만 남고 몸이 뽑혀갈 정도이다. 장님개미들은 주로 움직일 수 없거나 매우 느린 동물을 공격하여 잡아먹으며, 그들의 식사의 주식은 지렁이 이다. 장님개미의 종 모두 시력이 없다. 그렇기 때문에 장님개미라는 이름이 붙었다. 그러나 장님개미는 보통의 개미와 마찬가지로 페로몬으로 의사전달을 한다. [1] 수컷 개미는 '소시지파리'로 불리기도 하는데, 이들은 장님개미와는 워낙 다른 생김새 때문에 한때 다른 종으로 취급받기도 하였다. 일개미들이 장님개미의 수컷과 마주치면 날개를 뜯어버리고 죽이거나 혹은 여왕에게 데려간다. 다른 개미와 마찬가지로 장님개미의 수컷 역시 교미가 끝나면 곧 죽는다. [1]

• ↑ 가 나 다 라 마 Hölldobler, Bert ; Wilson, Edward O. (1990). 《개미》 (영어). 하버드대 출판사. ISBN 0674040759 .
• ↑ 죽음의 개미들의 두목((영문))

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Kalunde, the guest, and the safari ants

16 March 2010

By Lazaro George - Guide, Greystoke Mahale

Safari ants are social insects that live in big colonies. Their social structure is made up of a queen, a king, soldiers and workers. In the rainy season there are plenty of these ants around and you can see them walking in big files along cleared trails on the forest floor. These ants, cute as they are, they inflict nasty bites if they crawl onto your body especially to the soft parts.

Safari ants basically communicate by pheromone, a chemical secretion which upon being released by one member - potentially a soldier - is picked up by all the other ants and in just a fraction of seconds they all start biting, following the lead of the first ant to bite. Their biting is so painful that no one can bear it; a victim could do anything to get rid of them.

On one of the days recently out there in the forest tracking chimpanzees, we happened to stand on the safari ant’s trail unknowingly, following a marvelous chimp viewing we were having at that particular moment. We knew we were on the ant’s trail when one of my clients started to jump while poking his hand in his trouser and shirt. We all got alert, and started to look around. Right where we stood was a safari ant’s trail, and the line was disrupted and dozens and dozens of safari ants were raising their heads up with the pincers widely opened. We had to leap away but some ants had already crawled on us.

My one client, after getting severe bites from the ants, couldn’t bear it any longer and he decided to take off his trousers. To us it wasn’t amusing as it was a normal reaction that someone could end up resorting to when he has such a nasty insect on him. But Kalunde, the oldest male in the habituated M-community, had a surprising reaction as he seemed to be amused at seeing someone taking off his trousers. Kalunde and the other chimpanzees, they probably have never had such an experience of seeing people half naked. Therefore seeing that was a bit of a surprise to him, we thought. After all the ants had been reomoved the guy got dressed and Kalunde got back to his normal staring stance.

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Science News

Some african birds follow nomadic ants to their next meal.

Armies of aggressive ants flush out insects, worms and other easy prey from the forest floor

Driver ants regularly sweep across Africa’s tropical forest floors in voracious swarms hundreds of thousands of ants strong. Some birds are known to find and follow ant swarms, and scientists have only just begun to study these interactions.

Ibon Malaxetxebarria

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By Yao-Hua Law

July 25, 2023 at 8:00 am

COIMBATORE, India — To better understand Equatorial Guinea’s tropical birds, ornithologists Luke L. Powell and Patricia Rodrigues scan the ground rather than the trees. They are searching for nests of driver ants ( Dorylus spp.). These voracious predators will march out of their underground nests and fan out into a meters-wide swarm, flushing out insects and worms from undergrowth. From the trees, birds swoop down to catch the fleeing insects. And where the ant swarms go, the birds follow.

Swarms make humming and “tick tick tick” sounds, says Powell, of the University of Porto in Portugal. It is the sound of the ants — and of animals scurrying in panic ( SN: 8/12/02 ). “Then you hear the sounds of birds chirping at the edge [of the swarm], communicating.”

Ant-following birds are well studied in the neotropical Americas. In Africa, however, “people have seen birds follow ants, but nobody has really looked” to see whether the animals have a specialized relationship, says Rodrigues from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

The first step to figuring that out is finding driver ant nests. Since 2020, Rodrigues has spent weeks at a time scrutinizing the ground for ants in a forest near Ciudad de la Paz. When she finds them, she knows to keep her distance. “They’re super-duper aggressive and they have giant mandibles that can pierce your skin,” Rodrigues says. Despite her caution, ant bites “inevitably happen”— sometimes the ants fall out of trees onto her and her colleagues.

Rodrigues follows the ants as they carry food back to their nests. Since driver ants are nomadic, often relocating their colonies, she checks every nest daily in case the colony starts to move. “We do a lot of walking around the block,” she says with a laugh.

For their latest study, Rodrigues, Powell and colleagues placed cameras at the entrances of seven driver ant nests and recorded about 80 hours of footage. “Birds come up to a nest entrance and check it out,” says Powell, leaning his body forward and turning his head left and right, imitating a bird, “and fly into the direction of where the ants are raiding that day.”

When the team played calls of ant-following birds like the white-tailed ant thrush ( Neocossyphus poensis ) and fire-crested alethe ( Alethe castanea ), it attracted about 30 other bird species. Many of these birds eat insects and could be homing in on the calls of specialized ant-following birds for food, the researchers say.  In contrast, only seven bird species responded to calls of the African green pigeon ( Treron calvus ), which does not follow ants.

What’s more, early results from a GPS monitoring experiment suggest that ant-following birds have larger home ranges than the average understory bird. The scientists think this is because the birds have to fly farther to survey the moving ant colonies, Powell said July 6 at a meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.

These newly documented behaviors in African tropical birds show they are more specialized on driver ants than researchers had expected, Rodrigues says. The team now wants to examine how this specialization affects the birds when forest degradation changes the numbers and distribution of driver ants.  

Previous studies in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have shown that forest degradation drastically reduces the populations of insectivorous birds, especially the ones that follow ants. Because driver ants avoid hot, open spaces, Powell and Rodrigues wonder if that might explain why these birds are particularly vulnerable to forest loss.

The team’s work “is essential to inform decision makers and ideally have an impact on regulations for deforestation and land-use change in countries with growing agriculture, such as Equatorial Guinea,” says Carolina Ocampo-Ariza, an ecologist at the University of Göttingen in Germany who has reported on the impact of forest loss on ant-following birds in Cameroon . Forest degradation would remove the mix of trees and shrubs that the birds need to “stand on and effectively catch prey and follow the ants,” she says.

Because ant-following birds are relatively easy to find, not hunted, and sensitive to forest disturbance, Powell says they could indicate which forests to protect and how. Studying the birds and their relationship with driver ants is akin to “keeping your finger on the pulse of forest health,” he says.  

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SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

… an easy-to-read science book with a million animal facts for everyone.

The Safari Ant  (Dorylus) is an insect. It is also known as the Driver Ant and Army Ant.

The Safari Ant is red or red-black with a head, an abdomen, and a thorax. The drone is larger than the soldier ant, and the queen ant is the largest ant in the colony. The soldier Safari Ant has a large head with mandibles (jaws) that look like crab pincers. All worker Safari Ants are blind and don’t have eyes. They communicate by touch and scent (called pheromones).

It can grow up to 2 centimetres (1 inch) long.

The Safari Ant is native to central Africa and Eastern Africa. 

The Safari Ant lives in large colonies, which can contain over 20 million individuals. Colonies are nomadic. They travel in a long column that travels about 20 metres (65.5 feet) an hour. The small ants move inside the column with the large soldier ants on the outside to protect them. Large numbers of ants can kill small animals.

Safari Ant trail 

The Safari Ant lives in forests, and forage for food day and night. It feeds on insect larvae, such as sugarcane borers, as well as spiders and earthworms.

Its bite is severely painful to humans, leaving two puncture wounds in the skin. Removing the ant is difficult, because its jaws are extremely strong.

In the mating season, alates (the winged drones) mate on the ground with a queen ant, and then dies. Worker and soldier Safari Ants are female, and they are sterile and cannot have babies – only the queen ant can have babies.

The queen ant lays up to a million eggs each month. Males leave the colony soon after hatching but they can return by following the scent.

[Location of photographs: Nairobi, Kenya]

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

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Ant Queens | Understanding Ant Queens: Colony Founders

Ants are prolific insects, with over 12,000 identified species worldwide. They can form colonies ranging from a few individuals to supercolonies spanning thousands of kilometers. Ant colonies are made up of several castes, including workers, soldiers, and of course, the queen.

The queen's role is to lay eggs, thus continuing the colony's existence. Her position gives her significant power within the colony, and she serves as the heart of the social structure that keeps the colony thriving. Understanding the significance of ant queens is key to understanding the behavior and survival of the colony as a whole.

Key Takeaways

• Ant queens play a vital role in ant colonies' social structure, serving as the leaders and founders.
• The queen's primary role is to lay eggs, ensuring the continuity of the colony.
• Ant colonies have a complex social structure, with different castes serving specific roles.
• The queen's position within the colony grants her significant power to shape the colony's behavior and organization.
• Understanding ant queens is fundamental to understanding the behavior and survival of ant colonies.

The Life of an Ant Queen

Ant queens are undoubtedly some of the most important members of the ant colony. Their life cycle is quite fascinating, and understanding it is crucial to understanding the workings of the colony as a whole.

The development of an ant queen starts as a tiny egg, which hatches into a larva after a few days. The queen is then continuously fed by worker ants to support her growth, helping her to develop into a fully mature adult.

Once mature, the queen takes on the crucial role of reproduction, laying eggs that will hatch into worker ants and males. Queen ants have been known to lay thousands of eggs throughout their lifetime, demonstrating their remarkable reproductive abilities.

The queen's breeding abilities are essential for the survival and growth of the colony. Every worker ant in the colony is related to the queen, which strengthens the genetic makeup of the entire colony. Once the queen has successfully mated with a male ant from another colony, the colony begins to expand as the queen continues to lay eggs.

Another critical aspect of the queen's life is the construction and maintenance of the ant nest . The queen controls the construction of the nest and makes sure that it provides a suitable habitat for the colony to thrive. The ant nest is the central hub of the colony and serves as a place for food storage and a nursery for the queen's eggs.

As the queen ages, she may begin to experience a decline in egg production and reproductive abilities. This decline leads to the emergence of new queens that will replace the old queen. This process is known as colony succession and marks a new chapter in the life of the colony.

Overall, the life of an ant queen is full of challenges and responsibilities. Their unique role in the colony's social structure emphasizes the importance of the queen in maintaining the health and development of the colony.

Behaviors and Communication

Ant queens display a wide variety of behaviors that are specific to their role as the leaders and founders of ant colonies. These behaviors are necessary to maintain the cohesion and harmony of the colony, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

One of the most important behaviors of ant queens is communication. Ants communicate primarily through pheromones, chemicals that they secrete and emit into the environment. Ant queens use these chemical signals to convey vital information to other ants, such as instructions on where to search for food or how to defend the colony.

Ants are also known to communicate through touch, with tactile cues such as antennation. In this behavior, ants touch each other with their antennae, transmitting information and communicating with one another.

Another important behavior of ant queens is their role in regulating the behavior of other ants within the colony. Ant queens are known to suppress the reproductive capabilities of other female ants, ensuring that they are the only ones responsible for breeding and producing offspring. This behavior is essential to maintain the social structure and ensure the survival of the colony.

Overall, the behaviors and communication methods of ant queens are critical to the success and efficiency of ant colonies. Their intimate knowledge of the colony and ability to communicate effectively with other ants ensure the smooth operation of the entire system.

Ant Queen Behaviors and Communication Table

The social structure of ant colonies.

Ant colonies are some of the most well-organized societies in the animal kingdom. Their social structure is incredibly complex, and the role of the queen is of great importance. The queen ant is the founder of the colony and the only member capable of laying eggs, ensuring the continuation of the colony.

The hierarchy of ant colonies is structured around the queen, with worker ants providing support to their ruler. The workers are in charge of foraging, feeding the colony, and maintaining the nest. In return, they receive protection and care from their queen.

Ant colonies have several types of members, each with their own duties. The soldiers, for instance, play a crucial role in defending the colony from predators and enemies. They are larger and stronger than the other ants and have powerful mandibles that they can use to combat invaders.

"Ant colonies operate much like a well-oiled machine, with each member playing an essential role in the society's success. "

The social structure of ant colonies is maintained through complex communication. Ant queens are capable of emitting chemical signals, or pheromones, that allow them to communicate with their subjects. By doing so, they can regulate the behavior of the members, ensuring that the colony runs efficiently.

The social structure of ant colonies is a fascinating subject. Understanding the importance of ant queens in the colony's organization is vital in comprehending the inner workings of these complex societies.

Colony Founding and Succession

As we learned earlier, ant queens play a crucial role in establishing and maintaining ant colonies. Colony founding is the process by which ant queens initiate new colonies, ensuring the survival and expansion of their species. The colony's success depends on many factors, including the queen's lifespan, reproductive capacity and her ability to adapt to changes in the environment.

New colonies are founded in one of two ways. The first method involves the queen leaving her original colony and setting out on her own in search of a new location. Once she finds a suitable spot, she will lay the first eggs and start the foundation of her new colony. The other method is referred to as budding. When a colony reaches a certain size, the queen will produce new queens, and a portion of the population will split off to form a new colony.

When a queen's reign comes to an end, a succession process occurs. In some species, the old queen will produce a new queen before she dies, ensuring a smooth transition of power. Other species rely on competition between the female worker ants for the next queen.

The Importance of Colony Founding

Colony founding ensures the survival and expansion of the ant species by creating new colonies. When a colony grows too large, resources become scarce, leading to the establishment of new colonies, thus preventing overcrowding and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the species. Additionally, new colonies play a crucial role in expanding the ants' territory and searching for new sources of food, contributing to the growth and success of the entire species.

Challenges and Threats to Ant Queens

Ant queens are powerful leaders and the driving force behind ant colonies. However, even these remarkable insects face various challenges and threats throughout their lives. In this section, we will explore the dangers that ant queens encounter, including:

Despite these challenges, ant queens are incredibly resilient creatures, and their ability to adapt and overcome adversity is a testament to their strength and leadership.

Through our exploration of ant queens and their role in ant colonies, we have gained new insights into the fascinating world of these insects. From their life cycle and behavior to their social structure and the challenges they face, ant queens truly are remarkable creatures that play a vital role in the insect kingdom.

We hope this article provided an insightful look into the fascinating world of ant queens and their role in the intricate ant social structure . As we have learned, queen ants are the founders and leaders of ant colonies, shaping the future of their kingdoms through their reproductive abilities and leadership.

Their influence on the hierarchy of ant colonies is paramount, and their succession is crucial to the survival and success of their colonies. However, we must also not forget the challenges and threats that ant queens face throughout their lives, including predators, parasites, and environmental factors.

In conclusion, ant queens are essential components of the ant social structure , and their contribution to maintaining the harmony and organization of ant colonies cannot be underestimated. We hope this article has further deepened your appreciation for these incredible insects.

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Unveiling the Queen Ant: Size Secrets & Why They Rule the Colony 2024

Last Updated on March 28, 2024 by themubbi63

Like with bees, we all know that there’s two distinct divisions between ants of the female sex – the workers and the queens. So what exactly makes a queen ant a queen ant? How are they differentiated from the workers? How can we tell them apart and why is this distinction different? Well, a lot of the answers to those questions have to do with the size of the queen ant.

Queen Ant Length

The queen ant in most species is much bigger than both the worker female ants and the males of the species. Ranging in size from around 2 – 3 mm to 52 mm or 2 inches according to the species, the queen-ant towers over the others.

These numbers might seem small to us humans (and of course they are given our own size). But you should keep in mind that most worker ants only measure 1 – 5 mm. This makes it clear how big queen ants actually are.

Smallest Queen-Ants 

Now, of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t tiny queen ants. There are thousands of species of ants and they’ve all got unique characteristics. Some of the tiniest queen-ants are barely any bigger than the worker ants.

Such is the case with the thief ant (Solenopsis molesta) where the queen is only 2 – 3 mm or the slave making ant (Polyergus breviceps) where the queen is no more than 3 – 5 mm long. Despite this, it’s quite easy to tell the queen ant apart from the rest because of their unique body structures.

Largest Queen-Ants

Carpenter ants usually have the largest queens with some reaching over half an inch in size. In fact, carpenter ant queens usually measure between 13 and 17 mm in length. One species, the Florida carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus) can reach 25 mm or 1 inch in length.

Even bigger is the abnormally large Asian bullet ant (Paraponera clavata). With a queen measuring 38 mm or 1.5 inches, this is an unusually large size for any ant to reach.

Queen-Ant Lifespan

Something extremely fascinating about the queen ant? They can live quite long lives as compared to the workers and male ants. Worker ants generally live for 1 to 7 years while male ants only live for a couple of weeks (their only purpose being to breed with the queen). 

Queen-ants, on the other hand, can live up to 25 years or even more (especially if kept in safe laboratory conditions). This longer lifespan is because of a couple of genes in queens that allow their bodies to repair any damages that they might sustain.

Queen Ant Clutch Size

It really depends upon the kind of ant – how many eggs she might produce. Fire ant queens can produce as many as 1000 eggs per day. The quee- ant can retain sperm cells on her body for long periods of time and go on producing eggs day after day even without mating.

Ants can produce two kinds of eggs – either fertilized or non-fertilized. The fertilized eggs hatch to develop female worker ants while the non-fertilized eggs hatch males. Thus, male ants technically have no fathers. And what about future queens? Well, if a fertilized egg gets a lot of nourishment and nurture, it might develop into a future queen ant.

Why Are Queen Ants the Biggest?

As noted above, queen ants usually get more nutrition as an egg and as a pupa. She can eat as much as she wants and doesn’t have any kind of restrictions on her diet. Often, she’ll get the most choice meals.

But apart from that, what purpose is their bigger body? Well, the purpose of the queen ant is basically the propagation of the species. It’s her job to lay eggs and keep the colony going. The larger body helps her carry enough nutrients to nourish her young, especially during her maiden clutch. With later clutches, the worker ants help her nourish the young.

Identifying Queen-Ants

Now that you’ve learned all of that about queen ants, how will you know which is the queen ant? Well, size is a good indication of which is the queen ant in any colony. If you find a colony of ants where a number of smaller ants are surrounding a larger ant and caring for her, odds are the larger ant is the queen.

But even apart from that, some things set queen-ants apart. One especially fascinating fact? Only queen ants and male ants have wings, not worker ants. This is because they have to take part in their nuptial flight where they mate and start breeding. But you can differentiate between male ants and queen-ants because the latter have wings with 13 segments.

Finally, the thorax or middle part of the queen ant’s body which bridges the neck and abdomen is often wider and larger than the worker ants. This is because the thorax is meant to support the wings, even if the wings have been shed (which queen ants do at certain times in their life).

All of these signs can help identify the queen-ant from the other ants in the colony.

Queen ants reign supreme for a reason! Their impressive size, extended lifespan, and unique body features all contribute to their role as the colony’s egg-laying powerhouse. Now you’re equipped to identify a queen ant and appreciate the fascinating secrets behind her size and power.

Why are queen ants bigger than workers?

QueenAnts need the extra size to carry nutrients for their young, ensuring colony survival.

Why do queen-ants live so much longer?

Special genes allow queenAnts to repair damage and live up to 25 years, compared to worker ant’s 1-7 years.

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Mating Season and Queen Ants

Ant mating season and making an ant queen.

In spring and fall, some of the reproductive caste ( winged male ants and virgin queen ants ) take off on a nuptial flight at which time they mate.  The males soon die and the fertilized females lose their wings and start a new colony.  However, very few queens are successful at starting their own colonies and very few are actually able to mate.

During the reproductive season , ant colonies send forth swarms of virgin queens and males that fly or crawl away in search of mates from other colonies.  Most are seized by predators, fall in water, or lose their way and die.  If a young queen gets lucky during her nuptial flight, she breaks off her dry, membranous wings and searches for a place to build her nest.  Even if the new queen finds the right area for her nest, a predator may find her before the excavation can begin.

In the eastern United States, a perfect example of reproductive hopefuls and failures can be seen at the end of each summer.  If the ambiance is perfect from a recent rain, and the air is still and warm and humid, around five o’clock, the “ Labor Day ant ??? can be seen in swarms with males and virgin queens participating in their nuptial flight.  For an hour or two the sky is filled with these winged ants.  Many unfortunately end up splattered on windshields, eaten by birds and other predators, some stray over waterways and lakes and drown.  As the day becomes night and the orgy ends, the last of the survivors flutter to the ground.  The fertilized queens then scrape off their wings and search for a place to dig their nest.

Many ant species reproduce this way.  Colonies create a large number of queens, like so many seeds, on the chance that at least one or two will take root and be able to build a nest — a new colony.

After leading a life of luxury with workers catering to and feeding the young virgin queen, if she is lucky to mate and finds the right place to build her nest, she soon gets to work by raising her first brood of workers on her own.  But then the roles reverse and the queen becomes catered to again and the new workers begin to take care of her, reducing her to nothing more than an egg-laying machine.  The queen doesn’t know how to forage for food; she completely relies on her worker daughters for survival.

Queens of most ant species produce a few hundred workers (daughters), plus a dozen or so reproductive queens and males.  In the extreme, queens of leafcutter ants in South and Central America each give birth to as many as 150 million workers, with 2 to 3 million alive at any given time (that’s a lot of ants!).  African driver-ant queens (also known as Army or Safari ants ) may very well hold the record with a colony twice that number – a mass of daughter workers exceeding the human population of the United States!

Got ants? Call today at 1-800-986-1006 for help with an ant infestation. You’re also welcome to complete our contact form and a caring Hearts Pest Management representative will contact you shortly.

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How to Identify a Queen Ant

Last Updated: May 25, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Shweta Sharma . Shweta Sharma is a Biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With nearly ten years of experience, she specializes in insect management, integrated pest management, insect behavior, resistance management, ecology, and biological control. She earned her PhD in Urban Entomology and her MS in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida. She also holds a BS in Agriculture from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Nepal. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 620,292 times.

When a house is overrun by ants, it means that an ant colony has been established in or around the location of the house. Ant colonies cannot survive without a queen ant, as the queen ant is the individual that is responsible for reproduction. To address the root of the problem, you'll need to identify the queen ant by looking for her large size, wings (or wing attachment points), bulky thorax, and central placement within the colony.

Checking an Ant's Appearance

• The ant will be noticeably bigger than the surrounding ants, or other ants you have seen.
• Think about the type of ants you have as well. With leaf-cutter ants, the queen is particularly likely to be bigger than the worker ants. However, with fire ants and carpenter ants, workers themselves come in many different sizes. This may make it difficult to differentiate between the queen and worker ants based on size alone.

• Some male ants do have wings, but they tend to be slightly less noticeable. The types of male ants that have wings will generally look more slender and wasp like than a queen, who will generally be larger.

• As a queen's thorax once supported wings, it will be much bulkier and more muscular than a worker ant's body.
• A queen's thorax makes up more than half its body size. This is much larger than the thorax of a regular ant.

Considering Other Factors

• 4 See if the other ants do things for the one you suspect is a queen. They might carry things to her or take orders from her.

Expert Q&A

• Be careful when interacting with a queen. The ants will always protect their queen, and may bite if they feel she is threatened. Thanks Helpful 51 Not Helpful 8

Tips from our Readers

• Soldier ants will try to protect their queen when they're disturbed, so be careful not to upset them if you're trying to get rid of an infestation.
• If you want to start your own ant colony, be careful not to injure or kill the queen. Always wear gloves and handle the queen ant with care.
• Try to learn what species of ant you're dealing with so you can more easily identify the queen.

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about identifying insects, check out our in-depth interview with Shweta Sharma .

• ↑ http://scienceblogs.com/myrmecos/2008/09/27/how-to-identify-queen-ants/
• ↑ https://www.orkin.com/pests/ants/carpenter-ants/carpenter-ant-queens
• ↑ https://www.orkin.com/pests/ants/army-ants

About This Article

The easiest way to identify a queen ant is by looking at the ant's size and wings. Queens are much larger than regular worker ants and will look noticeably bigger than the others. Queens are also born with fairly large wings, and while some males have wings, they're much smaller. If you see a large, winged ant positioned at the center of an ant nest, it's very likely to be a queen! For tips on using other visible characteristics to identify a queen ant, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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