Contents Contents 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.


Genus Aenictus Shuckard (1840b: 266).

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

{Aenictus eugenii}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.

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