【12mm】Army Ant Specimen, Paraponera Soldier Ant, Eciton sp.

Scientific Name: Eciton sp.

Eciton is a genus of ants in the family Formicidae, and is a representative genus among 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 forage in large groups on the ground during the day.

Birds such as cuckoos, woodcreepers, antbirds, and antshrikes feed near the colonies. Of the approximately 200 species of antbirds, about 50 specialize in preying on insects fleeing from the ants, and this method accounts for half of their diet. Some of these birds actively check the army ant bivouacs every morning, follow the foraging trails to the front of the colony, and position themselves based on dominance hierarchies within the species. Up to 25 birds of one or two specialized species may join the colony, but up to 30 species of birds may participate. There are also species of skippers (family Hesperiidae) that feed almost exclusively on the droppings of these birds.

We apologize, but we cannot offer a guarantee against downgrading due to transportation.
We will ship the individual pictured from Píchncha, Ecuador, at an altitude of 1200m in Mindo. I measured it to be 12mm. It was collected on May 28, 2019.