Eciton vagans

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Eciton vagans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Dorylinae
Genus: Eciton
Species: E. vagans
Binomial name
Eciton vagans
(Olivier, 1792)

Eciton vagans casent0052771 profile 1.jpg

Eciton vagans casent0052771 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

Photo Gallery

  • Two Eciton vagans army ants impeaching an Odontomachus in Belize. Photo by Alex Wild.
  • Eciton vagans soldiers along a colony emigration column. La Selva, Costa Rica. Photo by Daniel Kronauer.
  • Dichthadiiform queen and worker of Eciton vagans. La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Photo by Daniel Kronauer.

Identification

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 25.68015° to -29.65°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana (type locality), Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Brown & Fenner (1998) report this species conducting raids on the nests of Poneracantha bispinosa at La Selva, Costa Rica.

O'Donnell et al. (2020) report this species foraging both day and night.

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a host for the diapriid wasp Labidopria sp. (a parasite) (www.diapriid.org) (potential host).
  • This species is a host for the phorid fly Apocephalus cultellatus (a parasite) (phorid.net) (attacked).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecitophora bruchi (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecitophora collegiana (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecitophora varians (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecitoptera concomitans (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecitoptera subciliata (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Ecituncula halterata (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).
  • This species is a associate (details unknown) for the phorid fly Thalloptera schwarzmaieri (a associate (details unknown)) (Quevillon, 2018).

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Eciton vagans casent0173509 head 1.jpgEciton vagans casent0173509 profile 1.jpgEciton vagans casent0173509 dorsal 1.jpgEciton vagans casent0173509 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0173509. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ALWC, Alex L. Wild Collection.

Phylogeny

Relationships among species of Eciton based on Winston et al. (2016). The species Eciton jansoni, Eciton quadriglume, Eciton setigaster and Eciton uncinatum were not included in this study.

Eciton

Eciton dulcium

Eciton vagans

Eciton quadriglume

Eciton rapax

Eciton mexicanum

Eciton lucanoides

Eciton burchellii

Eciton drepanophorum

Eciton hamatum

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • vagans. Formica vagans Olivier, 1792: 501 (w.) FRENCH GUIANA.
    • Type-material: holotype(?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: French Guiana: Cayenne (Tugni).
    • Type-depository: unknown (perhaps MNHN).
    • Smith, F. 1855c: 162 (s.); Wheeler, W.M. 1912e: 206 (m.); Menozzi, 1931d: 188 (q.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1974c: 170 (l.).
    • Combination in Eciton: Smith, 1855c: 162;
    • combination in E. (Eciton): Emery, 1910b: 21.
    • Status as species: Latreille, 1802c: 243; Smith, F. 1855c: 162; Smith, F. 1858b: 151; Mayr, 1863: 409; Roger, 1863b: 36; Mayr, 1886b: 118 (in key); Emery, 1890a: 55; Emery, 1890b: 38; Dalla Torre, 1893: 6; Emery, 1894c: 178; Emery, 1894k: 45; Forel, 1895b: 121; Emery, 1896h: 625; Forel, 1899c: 24; Forel, 1899d: 273; Wheeler, W.M. 1907a: 271; Forel, 1908e: 64; Forel, 1909a: 246; Emery, 1910b: 21; Forel, 1912c: 42; Mann, 1916: 420; Luederwaldt, 1918: 37; Santschi, 1920d: 363; Borgmeier, 1923: 40; Santschi, 1923g: 1259; Menozzi, 1931d: 188; Borgmeier, 1934: 93; Eidmann, 1936a: 28; Borgmeier, 1939: 405; Borgmeier, 1948b: 459; Borgmeier, 1953: 13; Borgmeier, 1955: 229 (redescription); Kempf, 1961b: 486; Kempf, 1970b: 323; Kempf, 1972a: 103; Watkins, 1976: 9 (in key); Watkins, 1982: 209 (in key); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1984: 270; Bolton, 1995b: 186; Palacio, 1999: 151 (in key); Wild, 2007b: 25; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012: 254; Palacio, 2019: 601.
    • Senior synonym of integrum: Borgmeier, 1953: 13; Borgmeier, 1955: 229; Kempf, 1972a: 103; Bolton, 1995b: 186.
    • Senior synonym of simillima: Smith, F. 1858b: 151; Mayr, 1863: 409; Roger, 1863b: 36; Dalla Torre, 1893: 6; Forel, 1895b: 121; Forel, 1899c: 24; Emery, 1910b: 21; Borgmeier, 1923: 40; Borgmeier, 1953: 16; Borgmeier, 1955: 229; Kempf, 1972a: 103; Bolton, 1995b: 186.
    • Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Paraguay.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus allognathum, angustatum, dispar, dubitatum, fur, mutatum.
  • integrum. Eciton integrum Santschi, 1921g: 91 (m.) FRENCH GUIANA.
    • Type-material: holotype male.
    • Type-locality: French Guiana: Saint-Laurent du Maroni, v. (Le Moult).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Junior synonym of vagans: Borgmeier, 1953: 13; Borgmeier, 1955: 229; Kempf, 1972a: 103; Bolton, 1995b: 185.
  • simillima. Eciton simillima Smith, F. 1855c: 164 (w.) BRAZIL (Pará).
    • Type-material: holotype(?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: Brazil: Pará (H.W. Bates).
    • Type-depository: BMNH?
    • Junior synonym of vagans: Smith, F. 1858b: 151; Mayr, 1863: 409; Roger, 1863b: 36; Dalla Torre, 1893: 6; Forel, 1895b: 121; Forel, 1899c: 24; Emery, 1910b: 21; Borgmeier, 1923: 40; Borgmeier, 1953: 16; Borgmeier, 1955: 229; Kempf, 1972a: 103; Bolton, 1995b: 186.

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • Borgmeier T. 1934. Contribuição para o conhecimento da fauna mirmecológica dos cafezais de Paramaribo, Guiana Holandesa (Hym. Formicidae). Archivos do Instituto de Biologia Vegetal (Rio de Janeiro) 1: 93-111.
  • Borgmeier T. 1939. Nova contribuição para o conhecimento das formigas neotropicas (Hym. Formicidae). Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro) 10: 403-428.
  • Borgmeier T. 1953. Vorarbeiten zu einer Revision der neotropischen Wanderameisen. Studia Entomologica 2: 1-51.
  • Borgmeier T. 1955. Die Wanderameisen der neotropischen Region. Studia Entomologica 3: 1-720.
  • Bouwma, A.M., K.J. Howard and R.L. Jeanne. 2007. Rates of Predation by Scouting-and-Recruiting Ants on the Brood of a Swarm-Founding Wasp in Costa Rica. Biotropica 39(6):719-724
  • Branstetter M. G. and L. Sáenz. 2012. Las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de Guatemala. Pp. 221-268 in: Cano E. B. and J. C. Schuster. (eds.) 2012. Biodiversidad de Guatemala. Volumen 2. Guatemala: Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, iv + 328 pp
  • Bustos H., J. 1994. Contribucion al conocimiento de al fauna de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del occidente del Departamento de Narino (Colombia). Bol. Mus. Ent. Univ. Valle 2(1,2):19-30
  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
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  • Emery C. 1890. Voyage de M. E. Simon au Venezuela (Décembre 1887 - Avril 1888). Formicides. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (6)10: 55-76.
  • Emery C. 1894. Estudios sobre las hormigas de Costa Rica. Anales del Museo Nacional de Costa Rica 1888-1889: 45-64.
  • Emery C. 1896. Formiche raccolte dal dott. E. Festa nei pressi del golfo di Darien. Bollettino dei Musei di Zoologia ed Anatomia Comparata della Reale Università di Torino 11(229): 1-4.
  • Emery C. 1896. Formiciden, gesammelt in Paraguay von Dr. J. Bohls. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 9: 625-638.
  • Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
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  • Franco W., N. Ladino, J. H. C. Delabie, A. Dejean, J. Orivel, M. Fichaux, S. Groc, M. Leponce, and R. M. Feitosa. 2019. First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana. Zootaxa 4674(5): 509-543.
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  • INBio Collection (via Gbif)
  • Kempf W. W. 1961. A survey of the ants of the soil fauna in Surinam (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Studia Entomologica 4: 481-524.
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
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  • Mirmecofauna de la reserva ecologica de San Felipe Bacalar
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  • Palacio E. 1999. Hormigas legionarias (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ecitoninae) de Colombia. Pp. 117-189 in: Amat-G., G.; Andrade-C., M. G.; Fernández, F. (eds.) 1999. Insectos de Colombia. Volumen II. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 433 pp.
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  • Santschi F. 1921. Ponerinae, Dorylinae et quelques autres formicides néotropiques. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 54: 81-103.
  • Santschi F. 1923. Descriptions de quelques nouvelles fourmis du Brésil. Revista do Museu Paulista 13: 1255-1264.
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