SUBFAMILY AENICTINAE - Genus Aenictus Shuckard
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The Ants of
Egypt SUBFAMILY AENICTINAE - Genus Aenictus Shuckard |
SUBFAMILY AENICTINAE - Bolton (1990b, 1994) raised this as a new monogeneric subfamily, within the doryline section.
Shuckard's (1840b) genus definition was solely based on a male specimen (of the Indian species Aenictus ambiguus Shuckard).
Diagnostic Features - Antenna 10-segmented; eyes absent; clypeus reduced bringing antennal sockets very close to anterior margin of head; pedicel of two segments; pygidium not impressed nor armed with spines or teeth. Posterior margin of clypeus and lobes of frontal carinae raised to form a ridge around the antennal insertions. Genae lateral of each antennal insertion with a carina of variable length. Dorsum of alitrunk without sutures, metanotal groove usually impressed. Monomorphic.
Often display 'army ant' habits, with narrow marching columns in leaf litter (Gotwald & Barr, 1987). Described as feeding primarily on other ants by Hölldobler & Wilson (1990, pages 560, 581 and 595).
Species thought likely to be found in Egypt
Aenictus
fuscovarius Gerstäcker &
Aenictus hamifer
Emery
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| ©2005,
2006, 2015 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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To
illustrate the genus, the photographed specimen of a worker of Aenictus
eugenii is from Tanzania, collector S Uehara, Mahale, 9.xi.2002,
collection III-59.