Eciton burchellii
Eciton burchelli
The scientific name of the species is very often written " burchellii ", which is the original spelling of Westwood.
Eciton burchelli is a kind of predatory army ants of the subfamily Ecitoninae that is used in the New World. It belongs to the most researched species of its genus.
Description
Eciton burchelli is polymorphic, that is, that their individuals in their size and severity may vary. The caste of workers of a colony have an average size of between three and twelve millimeters, each caste has its particular field. The soldiers form of sickle-shaped mouthparts and are characterized by a pronounced head. The long legs give way a spider-like habit, which is reinforced by their fast running characteristics. The color varies according to their habitat from light brown, slightly transparent golden, reddish- orange to dark brown. Workers have complex eyes with a Faszette, a double segmented waist and a spike- like extension. Her legs are provided with hooks by which they can form bridges and movable bivouacs from other conspecifics.
Occurrence
E. burchelli is a widespread ant species and occur in tropical Central and South America. The species is represented from Mexico to Brazil.
Way of life
The species is the dominant species of the genus Eciton and is characterized by its typical raids. Their colonies are quite large and can be between 100,000 to 2,000,000 adult animals included. Each colony consists of a queen, brood and larvae as well as the main mass of workers. Exceeds the colony a certain size, so arise ( called Hesmose ) by colony division further offshoot colonies. On their mostly above-ground forays form workers often living bridges to overcome obstacles and to ensure a high running speed. In contrast to E. hamatum the swarm attack on a broad front is their favorite hunting tactics. From the main running direction, several trains attack buttons in front to a wide swarm front. The concentration of workers and soldiers lies ahead. These forays have a duration of eleven to twelve hours, with the captured food is transported to the bivouac by the workers back. Using computer models and the Fisher equation has been trying to understand the flocking behavior of E. burchelli mathematically, the marked traffic lanes with pheromones were analyzed. To their food range includes, inter alia, Insects and small vertebrates. Ants of the species E. burchelli are pure generalists. Their raids are often accompanied by ants birds and woodpeckers, which capture fleeing animals from the ants. In the life cycle of E. burchelli the stationary phase will take about 19-22 days and the nomadic or migrant or migrant phase approximately 11-16 days. On the hiking phase they lay their bivouacs often in hollow tree trunks up to about three meters height. While they may occasionally be found on farmland, preferably E. burchelli wooded area. Your communication is achieved by chemical signals.