Ecitoninae
| Ecitoninae | ||||||||||||
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Soldier of the type Eciton burchelli |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ecitoninae | ||||||||||||
| Forel , 1893 |
The Ecitoninae are the only subfamily of wandering ants from the New World .
Systematics
The subfamily is divided into the two tribe Cheliomyrmecini and Ecitonini. The Cheliomyrmecini consist only of the genus Cheliomyrmex . The Ecitonini include the genera Neivamyrmex , Nomamyrmex , Labidus and Eciton , the latter giving the subfamily the name. The best described species from this group are Eciton burchelli and Eciton hamatum . The ecitonini include 150 species of ants, some of which range from Kansas to Argentina . Neivamyrmex alone comprises 120 species, with some also found in the warmer regions of the United States .
Occurrence
Ecitoninae species occur in North , Central and South America . The wandering ants found in North America are observed less frequently because the individuals are very small (approx. 5 mm) and their limited raids usually take place at night. Eciton is found in the tropical rainforests and humid savannas of Mexico , Guatemala , El Salvador , Honduras , Costa Rica , Panama , Colombia , Venezuela , Guiana , Suriname , British Guiana , French Guiana , Ecuador , Peru , Bolivia , Paraguay, and Brazil . In Costa Rica, Eciton Wandering Ants can often be seen in the Cahuita National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, or Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve.
description
Are hiking, Heeres- or driver ants on English "army ants" (army ants') or "driver ants" (, army ants'), in Spanish "Marabunta", "hormigas legion arias" (, legionary ants'), "hormigas devastadoras" ('Destruction ants'), in Costa Rica “ronchadoras”, in Colombia “tambochas”, impressively described in the classic novel La Vorágine (“The Strudel”) by José Eustasio Rivera , and in Portuguese “formiga-de-correição” (“running ants” ) called. Bolton described the subfamily of the Ecitoninae by the following common characteristics: the males have clearly defined presclerites on the abdomen IV to VII. The eye is reduced to a single ommatidium or absent.
Way of life
Most noticeable are the species of the genus Eciton , which occur from southern Mexico to the tropical rainforests of South America and are visible through broad hunting formations. The light-shy ants live predominantly on the forest floor or in dead trees and set out on extensive raids at certain hours of the day (usually at dawn or dusk). In the early hours of the morning there are scouts and patrols of female workers who explore a certain area for food and, as soon as prey is made, mark the path with pheromones . All living beings that can be overwhelmed are regarded as food. Their colonies and their kings are moved along with the raids, and bivouacs are often formed from living ants. The life cycle of these wandering ants alternates between stationary and migrating phases.
See also
literature
- William H. Gotwald: Army ants: The biology of social predation , 1995, ISBN 0-8014-2633-2 .
- Bert Hölldobler & Edward O. Wilson : Ants , 2001, ISBN 3-492-23414-3 .
- TC Schneirla and HR Topoff: Army ants. A study in social organization , WH Freeman & Co, San Francisco 1971, ISBN 0-7167-0933-3 .
Web links
- Tree of Life - Ecitoninae: New World Army Ants
- Antweb: Subfamily Ecitoninae
- Eciton burchelli on antbase
- New World Army Ants
Notes and individual references
- ↑ The Identification and Distribution of Army Ants of the United States of America (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ecitoninae)
- ↑ Eciton Distribution Map ( Memento of the original from May 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Army Ant in Costa Rica ( Memento of the original from June 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ B. Bolton: Synopsis and classification of formicidae. In: Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute Volume 71, 2003/2004, p. 370.
