army ants
awild | April 16, 2009I never met Carl Rettenmeyer.
I regret this.  Rettenmeyer forms a part of my heritage as an ant photographer.  As a kid, my first exposure to army ants came through Rettenmeyer's stunning imagery in Ranger Rick magazine. His photos adorn the pages of E. O. Wilson's 1971 classic The Insect Societies as well as the later tome The Ants.  Before I ever picked up a camera, or even considered myrmecology as a career, Rettenmeyer's ants were well seared into my memory.  They still simmer there, forming a mental backdrop for thoughts of army ants.
So as a tribute of sorts, I've…
edyong | March 8, 2009
Imagine that you're driving along a country lane. As often happens, the road suddenly transforms from a well-paved street to a pothole-ridden nightmare. As your suspension and your stomachs start to tire, your friends in the back suddenly force you to stop the car.
To your amazement, they jump out and lie across the potholes, beckoning you to drive your car over them. It may seem like a far-fetched scenario, but if you were an army ant, such selfless behaviour would be a matter of course.
Army ants are some of the deadliest hunters of South America. Amassing in legions of over 200,000 ants…
awild | December 14, 2008
Neivamyrmex nigrescens, Arizona
Army ants have a decidedly tropical reputation. The term conjures spectacular images of swarms sweeping across remote Amazonian villages, devouring chickens, cows, and small children unlucky enough to find themselves in the path of the ants. Of course, the habits of real army ants are not nearly so sensational, but they are at least as interesting.
The approximate range of army ants in North America.
Few people are aware that more than a dozen army ant species are found in the United States. Most belong to the genus Neivamyrmex, a diverse group that…
awild | November 10, 2008
Neivamyrmex army ants attacking a pavement ant, California
I see this morning that Daniel Kronauer has published a review of army ant biology in Myrmecological News. The paper, among other topics, attempts to straighten out some key terminology:
AenEcDo army ant: a connotation free abbreviation that is introduced here to avoid the term "true" army ant. It collectively refers to species in the three subfamilies Aenictinae, Ecitoninae, and Dorylinae and is strictly taxonomically defined.
Army ant: any ant species with the army ant adaptive syndrome.
Army ant adaptive syndrome: a life-…
awild | November 9, 2008
Aenictus aratus - Queensland
In my utterly unbiased opinion, Australia hosts the most charismatic ant fauna of all the continents. Except for their army ants, that is. While South America is bursting at the seams with scores of Eciton, Labidus, and Neivamyrmex, and Africa has hoardes of Dorylus, Australia's army ants are limited to a few small species of Aenictus, a genus that is likely a recent arrival, in a geological sense, from Asia.
In any case, Steve Shattuck continues his taxonomic march through the Australian ants, reviewing the Australian Aenictus in a paper appearing Friday in…
zooillogix | June 6, 2007Army-ants storm through the jungles of Panama a million strong devouring any and every living creature in their path. Some clever birds have found a way to capitalize on the mayhem: Stay close to the ants and eat the leaping, running, and scampering insects that attempt to escape.
Who would want to escape from this love fest?
Antbirds and ovenbirds, the main ant-following species, have different strategies for using the ants to their advantages. Some birds only follow the ants within their own territories, but stop when they reach the borders. Others dabble in ant following, hitting them up…