''Aenictogiton'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

s, comprising seven rarely collected

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. All of the species are known only from males from

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

, and show a morphological and

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

affinity to the

army ant The name army ant (or legionary ant or ''marabunta'') is applied to over 200 ant species in different lineages. Because of their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", a huge number of ants forage simultaneously over a limit ...

genus ''

Dorylus ''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 Swah ...

''. The dorylomorph ants include six subfamilies– Aenictogitoninae, Cerapachyinae, Leptanilloidinae, and the three army ant subfamilies Aenictinae, Dorylinae and Ecitoninae.

Origin

Army ants predominantly reside in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Indo‐Australia, however, a few species range into more temperate regions. The Ecitoninae all reside in the New World with an exception to two army ant subfamilies that are located in the Old World. Most of the species are located in Oriental and Indo‐Australian regions and a small variety in the Afrotropical region.

Behavioral and Reproductive Traits

All species within the three army ant subfamilies have similar behavioral and reproductive traits such as, obligate collective foraging, nomadism, and highly modified queens called dichthadiigynes. Aenictogiton or army ants never forage or hunt alone, they instead use leaderless, co-operative mass of ants to overwhelm their prey all at once. The army ants never reside in one location and do not build permanent nests. Therefore, they forage and hunt in different locations and emigrate periodically. The Queen are wingless and contain expandable abdomens that allow them to produce millions of eggs per month, which allows variation to occur within the species.

Species

*''

Aenictogiton attenuatus ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus''. The dorylomor ...

'' *''

Aenictogiton bequaerti ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus''. The dorylomor ...

'' *''

Aenictogiton elongatus ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus''. The dorylomor ...

'' *''

Aenictogiton emeryi ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus ''Dorylus'', ...

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Aenictogiton fossiceps ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus''. The dorylomor ...

'' *''

Aenictogiton schoutedeni ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus''. The dorylomor ...

'' *''

Aenictogiton sulcatus ''Aenictogiton'' is a genus of ants, comprising seven rarely collected species. All of the species are known only from males from Central Africa, and show a morphological and phylogenetic affinity to the army ant genus ''Dorylus''. The dorylomor ...

References

External links

* * Dorylinae Ant genera Hymenoptera of Africa Taxa named by Carlo Emery {{Ant-stub