- Researchers from Karnataka and Odisha have identified two new army ant species — Aenictus chittoorensis and Aenictus lankamallensis — in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.
- Army Ants are nomadic ants that do not maintain permanent nests & belong to ant subfamily Dorylinae. They construct temporary living shelters called bivouacs, formed entirely from interlinked worker ants.
- Habitat: Predominantly found in tropical ecosystems, where they act as highly aggressive predators.
- Key Characteristics
- Highly social: Live in huge colonies and carry out coordinated mass raids, consuming insects and small animals along their path.
- Morphology & behaviour: Possess large sharp mandibles, strong stinging ability, and depend heavily on chemical pheromones for navigation and communication.
- Vision: Nearly blind; movement is guided almost completely by pheromone trails laid by fellow workers.
- Colony structure: Each colony has a single queen that lays all eggs, supported by female worker ants that rear young and forage for food.
- Ecological Role: Function as keystone predators, regulate arthropod populations and significantly influence forest biodiversity by consuming massive quantities of invertebrates every day.
