View source for Aenictus

{{Short description|Genus of ants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Aenictus ceylonicus castype06956 head 1.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Aenictus ceylonicus]]'' worker from Indonesia
| taxon = Aenictus
| authority = [[William Edward Shuckard|Shuckard]], 1840
| type_species = ''[[Aenictus ambiguus]]''<ref name="AWAenictinae"/>
| type_species_authority =
| diversity_link = #Species
| diversity = 181 species
| diversity_ref = <ref name="AntCat" />
| synonyms =
''Paraenictus'' <small>[[William Morton Wheeler|Wheeler]], 1929</small><br>
''Typhlatta'' <small>[[Frederick Smith (entomologist)|Smith]], 1857</small>
}}
'''''Aenictus''''' is a large [[army ant]] [[genus]] distributed in the [[Old World]] [[tropics]] and [[subtropics]].<ref name="Jaitrong&Yamane_2013"/> It contains about 181 species,<ref name="AntCat">{{AntCat|429477|Aenictus|2014|accessdate=28 June 2014}}</ref> making it one of the larger ant genera of the world.<ref name="Jaitrong&Yamane_2012">{{Cite journal | last1 = Jaitrong | first1 = W. J. | last2 = Yamane | first2 = S. | doi = 10.3897/zookeys.193.2768 | title = Review of the Southeast Asian species of the Aenictus javanus and Aenictus philippinensis species groups (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Aenictinae) | journal = ZooKeys | issue = 193 | pages = 49–78 | year = 2012 | pmid =  22679379| pmc =3361139 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2012ZooK..193...49J }}</ref>
==Biology and distribution==
The genus presently has 181 species,<ref name="AntCat"/> distributed through the East [[Mediterranean]], [[Afrotropical]], [[Oriental]], [[Indo-Australian]], and [[Australia]]n regions.<ref name="Jaitrong&Yamane_2012"/><ref name="Gotwald_1995"/><ref name="Brown_2000">Brown WL Jr. (2000) Diversity of ants. In: Agosti et al. (Eds) Ants. standard methods for measuring and monitoring biodiversity. Biological diversity hand book series. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London, 280 pp.</ref><ref>Aktaç N, Radchenko AG, Kiran K (2004) On the taxonomy of the west Palaearctic Aenictinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annales Zoologici 54 (2): 361-364.</ref> Most of the species are [[tropical]],<ref name="Brown_2000"/> with terrestrial habitats, foraging in soil, [[leaf litter]], most of the [[Southeast Asian]] species forage on the ground, and some on trees<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal | last1 = Hirosawa | first1 = H. | last2 = Higashi | first2 = S. | last3 = Mohamed | first3 = M. | title = Food habits of Aenictus army ants and their effects on the ant community in a rain forest of Borneo | doi = 10.1007/s000400050007 | journal = Insectes Sociaux | volume = 47 | pages = 42–49 | year = 2000 | s2cid = 8364202 }}</ref> and hunting other ant species and termites.<ref name="Gotwald_1995"/><ref name="Rosciszewski_1994"/><ref name="Sharaf_et_al_2012"/>
Most species of the genus are specialized predators of other ants, especially of immature stages.<ref name="Gotwald_1995">Gotwald WH (1995) Army ants: the Biology of Social Predation. Cornell University Press, New York, 320 pp.</ref><ref name="Rosciszewski_1994">Rościszewski M, Maschwitz U (1994) Prey specialization of army ants of the genus Aenictus in Malaysia. Andrias 13: 179-187.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.2307/2387819| jstor = 2387819| title = Behavioral Observations on African Army Ants of the Genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)| year = 1976| last1 = Gotwald | first1 = W. H. | journal = Biotropica| volume = 8| issue = 1| pages = 59–65| bibcode = 1976Biotr...8...59G}}</ref> Only some Asian species such as ''[[Aenictus gracilis]]'', ''[[Aenictus laeviceps]]'', ''[[Aenictus hodgsoni]]'', and ''[[Aenictus paradentatus]]'' are known to hunt a variety of invertebrate prey, including ants, using a large number of workers in raids.<ref name="Gotwald_1995"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>Shattuck SO (2008) Review of the ant genus Aenictus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia with notes on A. ceylonicus (Mayr). Zootaxa 1926: 1-19.</ref><ref>Jaitrong W, Yamane Sk (2011) Synopsis of Aenictus species groups and revision of the A. currax and A. laeviceps groups in the eastern Oriental, Indo-Australian, and Australasian regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Aenictinae). Zootaxa 3128: 1-46.</ref> Foraging raids undertaken by these ants occur both day and night, usually across the ground surface but occasionally also in trees. During raids, numerous workers attack ant nests in a small area, with several workers coordinating their efforts to carry large prey items back to the nest or [[Bivouac (ants)|bivouac]].<ref name="Jaitrong&Yamane_2013">{{Cite journal | last1 = Jaitrong | first1 = W. J. | last2 = Yamane | first2 = S. | doi = 10.3897/JHR.31.4274 | title = The ''Aenictus ceylonicus'' species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Aenictinae) from Southeast Asia | journal = Journal of Hymenoptera Research | volume = 31 | pages = 165–233 | year = 2013 | url = https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/1625/download/pdf/ | doi-access = free }}</ref> Species of ''Aenictus'' are generally small, monomorphic and yellow to dark brown.<ref name="Sharaf_et_al_2012">{{Cite journal | last1 = Sharaf | first1 = M. | last2 = Aldawood | first2 = A. | last3 = El-Hawagry | first3 = M. | doi = 10.3897/zookeys.228.3559 | title = First record of the ant subfamily Aenictinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia, with the description of a new species | url = https://archive.org/details/pubmed-PMC3487640 | journal = ZooKeys | issue = 228 | pages = 39–49 | year = 2012 | pmid =  23166469| pmc =3487640 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2012ZooK..228...39S }}</ref>
==Species==
{{div col|colwidth=24em}}
*''[[Aenictus acerbus]]'' <small>Shattuck, 2008</small>
*''[[Aenictus aitkenii]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus alluaudi]]'' <small>Santschi, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus alticola]]'' <small>Wheeler, 1930</small>
*''[[Aenictus ambiguus]]'' <small>Shuckard, 1840</small>
*''[[Aenictus anceps]]'' <small>Forel, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus annae]]'' <small>Forel, 1911</small>
*''[[Aenictus appressipilosus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus arabicus]]'' <small>Sharaf & Aldawood, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus aratus]]'' <small>Forel, 1900</small>
*''[[Aenictus artipus]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus arya]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus asantei]]'' <small>Campione, Novak & Gotwald, 1983</small>
*''[[Aenictus asperivalvus]]'' <small>Santschi, 1919</small>
*''[[Aenictus bakeri]]'' <small>Menozzi, 1925</small>
*''[[Aenictus baliensis]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus bayoni]]'' <small>Menozzi, 1932</small>
*''[[Aenictus binghami]]'' <small>Forel, 1900</small>
*''[[Aenictus biroi]]'' <small>Forel, 1907</small>
*''[[Aenictus bobaiensis]]'' <small>Zhou & Chen, 1999</small>
*''[[Aenictus bodongjaya]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus bottegoi]]'' <small>Emery, 1899</small>
*''[[Aenictus brazzai]]'' <small>Santschi, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus breviceps]]'' <small>Forel, 1912</small>
*''[[Aenictus brevicornis]]'' <small>(Mayr, 1879)</small>
*''[[Aenictus brevinodus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus brevipodus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus buttelreepeni]]'' <small>Forel, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus buttgenbachi]]'' <small>Forel, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus camposi]]'' <small>Wheeler & Chapman, 1925</small>
*''[[Aenictus carolianus]]'' <small>Zettel & Sorger, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus certus]]'' <small>Westwood, 1842</small>
*''[[Aenictus ceylonicus]]'' <small>(Mayr, 1866)</small>
*''[[Aenictus changmaianus]]'' <small>Terayama & Kubota, 1993</small>
*''[[Aenictus chapmani]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus clavatus]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus clavitibia]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus concavus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus congolensis]]'' <small>Santschi, 1911</small>
*''[[Aenictus cornutus]]'' <small>Forel, 1900</small>
*''[[Aenictus crucifer]]'' <small>Santschi, 1914</small>
*''[[Aenictus currax]]'' <small>Emery, 1900</small>
*''[[Aenictus cylindripetiolus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus decolor]]'' <small>(Mayr, 1879)</small>
*''[[Aenictus dentatus]]'' <small>Forel, 1911</small>
*''[[Aenictus diclops]]'' <small>Shattuck, 2008</small>
*''[[Aenictus dlusskyi]]'' <small>Arnol'di, 1968</small>
*''[[Aenictus doryloides]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus doydeei]]'' <small>Jaitrong, Yamane & Chanthalangsy, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus duengkaei]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus eguchii]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus eugenii]]'' <small>Emery, 1895</small>
*''[[Aenictus exilis]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus feae]]'' <small>Emery, 1889</small>
*''[[Aenictus fergusoni]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus foreli]]'' <small>Santschi, 1919</small>
*''[[Aenictus formosensis]]'' <small>Forel, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus fuchuanensis]]'' <small>Zhou, 2001</small>
*''[[Aenictus fulvus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus furculatus]]'' <small>Santschi, 1919</small>
*''[[Aenictus furibundus]]'' <small>Arnold, 1959</small>
*''[[Aenictus fuscipennis]]'' <small>Forel, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus fuscovarius]]'' <small>Gerstäcker, 1859</small>
*''[[Aenictus gibbosus]]'' <small>Dalla Torre, 1893</small>
*''[[Aenictus glabratus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Nur-Zati, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus glabrinotum]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus gleadowii]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus gonioccipus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus gracilis]]'' <small>Emery, 1893</small>
*''[[Aenictus grandis]]'' <small>Bingham, 1903</small>
*''[[Aenictus gutianshanensis]]'' <small>Staab, 2014</small>
*''[[Aenictus hamifer]]'' <small>Emery, 1896</small>
*''[[Aenictus henanensis]]'' <small>Li & Wang, 2005</small>
*''[[Aenictus hilli]]'' <small>Clark, 1928</small>
*''[[Aenictus hodgsoni]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus hottai]]'' <small>Terayama & Yamane, 1989</small>
*''[[Aenictus humeralis]]'' <small>Santschi, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus huonicus]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus icarus]]'' <small>Forel, 1911</small>
*''[[Aenictus idoneus]]'' <small>Menozzi, 1928</small>
*''[[Aenictus inconspicuus]]'' <small>Westwood, 1845</small>
*''[[Aenictus indicus]]'' <small>Bharti, Wachkoo & Kumar, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus inflatus]]'' <small>Yamane & Hashimoto, 1999</small>
*''[[Aenictus itoi]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus jacobsoni]]'' <small>Forel, 1909</small>
*''[[Aenictus jarujini]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus javanus]]'' <small>Emery, 1896</small>
*''[[Aenictus jawadwipa]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus khaoyaiensis]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus kutai]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Wiwatwitaya, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus laeviceps]]'' <small>(Smith, 1857)</small>
*''[[Aenictus latifemoratus]]'' <small>Terayama & Yamane, 1989</small>
*''[[Aenictus latiscapus]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus leliepvrei]]'' <small>Bernard, 1953</small>
*''[[Aenictus leptotyphlatta]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Eguchi, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus levior]]'' <small>(Karavaiev, 1926)</small>
*''[[Aenictus lifuiae]]'' <small>Terayama, 1984</small>
*''[[Aenictus longi]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus longicephalus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus longinodus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus luteus]]'' <small>Emery, 1892</small>
*''[[Aenictus luzoni]]'' <small>Wheeler & Chapman, 1925</small>
*''[[Aenictus maneerati]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus mariae]]'' <small>Emery, 1895</small>
*''[[Aenictus mauritanicus]]'' <small>Santschi, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus mentu]]'' <small>Weber, 1942</small>
*''[[Aenictus minimus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Hashimoto, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus minipetiolus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus minutulus]]'' <small>Terayama & Yamane, 1989</small>
*''[[Aenictus mocsaryi]]'' <small>Emery, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus moebii]]'' <small>Emery, 1895</small>
*''[[Aenictus montivagus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus mutatus]]'' <small>Santschi, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus nesiotis]]'' <small>Wheeler, 1930</small>
*''[[Aenictus nganduensis]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus nishimurai]]'' <small>Terayama & Kubota, 1993</small>
*''[[Aenictus obscurus]]'' <small>Smith, 1865</small>
*''[[Aenictus orientalis]]'' <small>(Karavaiev, 1926)</small>
*''[[Aenictus pachycerus]]'' <small>(Smith, 1858)</small>
*''[[Aenictus pangantihoni]]'' <small>Zettel & Sorger, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus paradentatus]]'' <small>Jaitrong, Yamane & Tasen, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus parahuonicus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus peguensis]]'' <small>Emery, 1895</small>
*''[[Aenictus pfeifferi]]'' <small>Zettel & Sorger, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus pharoa]]'' <small>Santschi, 1924</small>
*''[[Aenictus philiporum]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus philippinensis]]'' <small>Chapman, 1963</small>
*''[[Aenictus piercei]]'' <small>Wheeler, 1930</small>
*''[[Aenictus pilosus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus pinkaewi]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus porizonoides]]'' <small>Walker, 1860</small>
*''[[Aenictus powersi]]'' <small>Wheeler, 1930</small>
*''[[Aenictus prolixus]]'' <small>Shattuck, 2008</small>
*''[[Aenictus pubescens]]'' <small>Smith, 1859</small>
*''[[Aenictus punctatus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus punctiventris]]'' <small>Emery, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus punensis]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus rabori]]'' <small>Chapman, 1963</small>
*''[[Aenictus raptor]]'' <small>Forel, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus reyesi]]'' <small>Chapman, 1963</small>
*''[[Aenictus rhodiensis]]'' <small>Menozzi, 1936</small>
*''[[Aenictus rixator]]'' <small>Emery, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus rotundatus]]'' <small>Mayr, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus rotundicollis]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus rougieri]]'' <small>André, 1893</small>
*''[[Aenictus sagei]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus schneirlai]]'' <small>Wilson, 1964</small>
*''[[Aenictus shillongensis]]'' <small>Mathew & Tiwari, 2000</small>
*''[[Aenictus shuckardi]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus siamensis]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus silvestrii]]'' <small>Wheeler, 1929</small>
*''[[Aenictus sonchaengi]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus soudanicus]]'' <small>Santschi, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus spathifer]]'' <small>Santschi, 1928</small>
*''[[Aenictus steindachneri]]'' <small>Mayr, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus stenocephalus]]'' <small>Jaitrong, Yamane & Wiwatwitaya, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus subterraneus]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Hashimoto, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus sulawesiensis]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Wiwatwitaya, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus sumatrensis]]'' <small>Forel, 1913</small>
*''[[Aenictus sundalandensis]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus thailandianus]]'' <small>Terayama & Kubota, 1993</small>
*''[[Aenictus togoensis]]'' <small>Santschi, 1915</small>
*''[[Aenictus trigonus]]'' <small>Forel, 1911</small>
*''[[Aenictus turneri]]'' <small>Forel, 1900</small>
*''[[Aenictus vagans]]'' <small>Santschi, 1924</small>
*''[[Aenictus vaucheri]]'' <small>Emery, 1915</small>
*''[[Aenictus vieti]]'' <small>Jaitrong, Yamane & Wiwatwitaya, 2010</small>
*''[[Aenictus villiersi]]'' <small>Bernard, 1953</small>
*''[[Aenictus watanasiti]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus wayani]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus weissi]]'' <small>Santschi, 1910</small>
*''[[Aenictus westwoodi]]'' <small>Forel, 1901</small>
*''[[Aenictus wilaiae]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus wilsoni]]'' <small>Bharti, Wachkoo & Kumar, 2012</small>
*''[[Aenictus wiwatwitayai]]'' <small>Jaitrong & Yamane, 2013</small>
*''[[Aenictus wroughtonii]]'' <small>Forel, 1890</small>
*''[[Aenictus wudangshanensis]]'' <small>Wang, 2006</small>
*''[[Aenictus yamanei]]'' <small>Wiwatwitaya & Jaitrong, 2011</small>
*''[[Aenictus zhengi]]'' <small>Zhang, 1995</small>
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{Reflist|3|refs=
<ref name="AWAenictinae">{{cite web |url=http://www.antweb.org/description.do?name=Aenictinae&rank=subfamily&project=worldants |title=Subfamily: Aenictinae |website=antweb.org |publisher=[[AntWeb]] |access-date=13 October 2013}}</ref>
}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{OA-attribution| {{Cite journal | last1 = Jaitrong | first1 = W. J. | last2 = Yamane | first2 = S. | doi = 10.3897/zookeys.193.2768 | title = Review of the Southeast Asian species of the Aenictus javanus and Aenictus philippinensis species groups (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Aenictinae) | journal = ZooKeys | issue = 193 | pages = 49–78 | year = 2012 | pmid =  22679379| pmc =3361139 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2012ZooK..193...49J }} }}
*{{OA-attribution| {{Cite journal | last1 = Sharaf | first1 = M. | last2 = Aldawood | first2 = A. | last3 = El-Hawagry | first3 = M. | doi = 10.3897/zookeys.228.3559 | title = First record of the ant subfamily Aenictinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia, with the description of a new species | url = https://archive.org/details/pubmed-PMC3487640 | journal = ZooKeys | issue = 228 | pages = 39–49 | year = 2012 | pmid =  23166469| pmc =3487640 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2012ZooK..228...39S }} }}
*{{OA-attribution| {{Cite journal | last1 = Jaitrong | first1 = W. J. | last2 = Yamane | first2 = S. | doi = 10.3897/JHR.31.4274 | title = The ''Aenictus ceylonicus'' species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Aenictinae) from Southeast Asia | journal = Journal of Hymenoptera Research | volume = 31 | pages = 165–233 | year = 2013 | url = https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/1625/download/pdf/ | doi-access = free }} }}
{{refend}}
==External links==
*{{Wikispecies-inline|Aenictus|''Aenictus''}}
*{{Commons-inline|italic=1}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q310045}}
[[Category:Dorylinae]]
[[Category:Ant genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by William Edward Shuckard]]