【15mm】Army Ant Specimen Paraponera Soldier Ant Eciton

Scientific Name: Eciton sp.

Eciton is a genus of ants in the family Formicidae, and is a representative genus of army ants. They are distributed in the tropical regions of Central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina.

The most well-known species is Eciton burchellii. Another well-known species is Eciton hamatum. These two species are the most commonly seen and studied army ants in the New World because they form large colonies on the ground during the day to search for food.

They have a lifestyle that alternates between nomadic and stationary periods. The stationary period lasts for about three weeks, during which they stay in the same location every night. They build nests with their own bodies, protecting the queen and eggs in the center. These temporary nests are called bivouacs. During the nomadic period, the entire colony moves to a new location almost every night, continuing to move for about two weeks. During this period, the queen does not lay eggs.
When they enter the stationary period, the queen ant's body swells significantly, and she lays up to 80,000 eggs in less than a week. As the eggs mature, the frequency and intensity of swarming decrease. When the eggs hatch, the colony enters the nomadic period due to the increased activity of the larvae. The colony swarms much more intensely, moving to new locations almost every night. After two weeks, when the larvae begin to pupate, the colony enters the stationary period again, and the cycle begins anew.

Please note that we cannot guarantee against downgrading due to transportation.
We will ship the pictured individual from Tena, Napo Province, Ecuador. I measured it to be 15mm. It was collected in April 2015.