The term Army Ant is broadly applied to over 200 species of migratory ant due to their aggressiveness, predatory nature and massive colony size.
Army ants do not construct a permanent nest so commonly associated with other species of ant, instead, they construct a bivouac, a nest of up to 500,000 living worker ants. Army ants forage and feed over massive areas, predating on all on which they find, which means the colony is constantly on the move.
In 2003 Cornell University conducted a study of thirty species of so-called Army Ants. This study indicates that the ecitonine and doryline army ants together formed a monophyletic group which all share identical genetic markers that suggest a common ancestor and so the two subfamilies can now be considered part of the single subfamily Ecitoninae.
Eciton burchelli
Being the predominant species of the genus Eciton, burchelli is considered the archetypal "Army Ant" and so this has become its common name.
About Us
AntBlog is a budding community of ant enthusiasts. We study ants and track ants in the news.... more
Featured
Latest updates
Do ants bleed? Ant circulatory system
Ant blood is a colourless liquid. It is circulated through the body by the contraction...
Formicarium
A formicarium is a purposefuly designed enclosure used to contain and study ants. The...
Eusociality
The term eusocial was introduced in 1966 by Entomologist Suzanne Batra and subsequentl...
About us
We're a community of ant enthusiasts who've been online since August 2008. Richard is ...
Keeping ants in captivity
Keeping and studying ants can be a rewarding experience. Wether you're interested in b...