Hello Bruce: Thought you'd like to know that the "matabele" ant in the photo at http://www.taos-telecommunity.org/epow/EPOW-Archive/archive_2003/EPOW-030811.htm is not, in fact, [i]Pachycondyla analis[/i] (formerly [i]Megaponera foetens[/i]), but rather one of the African driver ants, probably [i]Dorylus wilverthi[/i] (images http://images.google.com/images?biw=&q=Dorylus+wilverthi&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images ). Note the polymorphic workers, with large-headed majors guarding the flanks of the column. By the way, I recently saw some incredible footage of this species on a National Geographic TV program called "Killer Ants", which is sure to air again some day. Anyway, Pachycondyla spp. by contrast have monomorphic workers (for example, this South American termite raiding species http://www.myrmecos.net/ants/PacMar1.html ). Best regards, James T. James.Trager@mobot.org James C. Trager, Ph. D. Restoration Biologist / Ant Taxonomist Shaw Nature Reserve P.O. Box 38 Interstate 44 and US 100 Gray Summit MO 63039 USA Tel. 636-451-3512 ext. 6002 Fax. 636-451-5583 ==================================== Hi again: I did a bit more homework on P. apicalis..... From http://antbase.org/ants/africa/pachycondyla_1.htm[/i] comes the following on Megaponera foetens, a.k.a. Pachydondyla analis: "In Nigeria, studied at Mokwa, in the southern Guinea savannah, ... Longhurst & Howse .... described its predation on termites, and the biology of males. Almost half of the 73 nests which they examined were in deserted nests of the termite Macrotermes bellicosus (Smith), most of the rest were in the ground under bushes. Activity was either early morning (0700-0930 h) or late afternoon (1630-1830h). Major "scout ants" locate foraging termites, by detecting chemicals in the soil sheeting built by the termites. The scouts then recruit other workers, scent trails being used once the route is established. Only the minor workers enter the ... [temite nest] and bring out captured termites, stacking the prey around the entry points. At the end of the raid the termites are carried back to the [i][P.] analis[/i] nests, mainly by the majors." This site includes dimensions and pictures of the dull-headed majors and shiny-headed minors and a discussion of the taxonomic confusion caused by these different-looking castes. Still, most if not all other [i]Pachycondyla[/i] species have monomorphic workers, and the picture is indeed of Dorylus. The raiding columns of P. apicalis have all workers going either to or fro, and lack the flanking ranks of much larger, outward-facing soldiers typical of Dorylus. Hope this clarifies things. JT James.Trager@mobot.org P.S. I used to spend summers in Taos with my father, who was a linguist studying Taos and other Rio Grande pueblo Indian languages. Lots of nice memories (including of interesting ants) from those summers. =================== And greetings to you, Bruce: It's fine with me to use the info I provided you. I only ask that you provide me with a draft that I can check to make sure it says what I said ... or that I said what I meant! I did Pick up my father's linguistic interests, and use them to my advantage in travels and in editing biological manuscripts, among other things. By the way, there is a Taos, Missouri, about a 1.5 hour drive west of St. Louis. I've driven through before, but really must stop in and investigate, especially the "Taos Museum", which may contain some explanation of how the town got the name. Best regards, James James.Trager@mobot.org ================= Indeed, Bruce, the "Killer ants" footage of siafu is the same Dorylus wilverthi I wrote about earlier. To answer your question; There are in fact numerous group-raiding ant species around the world, mostly in the tropics. They are divided by behavior into swarm-raiders and column-raiders. The former constitute only perhaps a dozen or so species in tropical South America, Asia and Africa, but they get all the press. The latter constitute hundreds of species, including a number found in warm temperate areas (even Missouri), but most are nocturnal or otherwise cryptic, so less well-known. Indeed, several of these less conspicuous army ant species occur in New Mexico, though I never encountered them up as high in elevation as Taos. They are typically nocturnal, but on one unusually dark, cloudy, cool day I found two species (Neivamyrmex nigrescens and N. leonardi) running around on the surface at grassland area near Espaņola. See http://www.armyants.org/ for more on North American species. Regards, James James.Trager@mobot.org