Aenictus

Taxobox


image_caption = "A. abeillei" female
image_width = 200px
name = "Aenictus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Hymenoptera
familia = Formicidae
subfamilia = Ecitoninae
tribus = Dorylini
genus = "Aenictus"
genus_authority = Shuckard, 1840
diversity_link = Aenictus
diversity = > 100 species
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See article.

The army ant genus "Aenictus" is an enigmatic group known from Africa, tropical Asia, and Queensland. There are some 100 species presently recognized, though many other names are applied at the rank of subspecies. This group has in the past been classified as the tribe Aenictini in the former subfamily "Dorylinae", or even as its own subfamily Aenictinae.

Very little is known about the biology and behavior of these ants aside from the recognition that they do appear to be "army ants" in the broad sense (foraging via "raids", and no permanent nest site), and that they are closely related to the genus "Dorylus", these two genera comprising the sister taxon to the New World Ecitonini.

pecies

References

* Wilson, E.O., and B. Hölldobler (1990) "The Ants" ISBN 3540520929
* ITIS: [http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=573888 Genus "Aenictus"]

Further reading

* (1930): Philippine ants of the genus "Aenictus" with descriptions of the females of two species. "Journal of the New York Entomological Society" 38: 193-212. [http://antbase.org/ants/publications/3416/3416.pdf PDF]

External links

* [http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Ecitoninae&contgroup=Dorylomorphs Tree of Life - Ecitoninae pages]