﻿IV DORYLIDES WANDERING ANTS I JJ 



by the male sex only. The discoveries (to be subsequently 

 alluded to) made in the Old World as to the relations between the 

 driver ants and Dorylus raised a suspicion that Ldbidus might 

 be the male of Eciton, the distinctions in the two cases being- 

 very analogous : this conjecture has been almost proved to be 

 correct by the recent observations of Hetschko and W. Muller. 

 The latter, who observed the temporary nests of Eciton hamat urn , 

 confirms Belt's statements as to the ants hanging together in 

 clumps, like swarms of bees ; he also states that the change from 

 one temporary abode to another takes place at night, though, as 

 is well known, the hunting forays of this ant are carried on in 

 the daytime. The periods of migration appear to be determined 

 by the time at which all the larvae have assumed the pupal 

 state, this at any rate being the time chosen in the case observed 

 by Muller. This naturalist bagged a part of one of the nests 

 by the aid of ether, and found the larger portion to consist of 

 pupae ; there were also some larvae and eggs ; a specimen of 

 Labidus (L. burchelli) was also found on friendly terms with the 

 Eciton- workers ; and myrmecophilous Coleoptera were discovered. 

 The pupae are enclosed in cocoons. Persistent search failed to 

 reveal any female, but the examination was made under great 

 difficulties. Midler also states that the earliest pupated larvae 

 yield soldiers, the latest the smallest forms of workers. From 

 observations made by Forel on a pupa, it seems probable that 

 a wingless form of male may be found to exist. If there- 

 fore, ;is appears practically certain, Labidus is the winged male of 

 Eciton, it is probable also that males of more or less worker-like 

 form exist, as is now known to be the case in some other 

 Formicidae. 



We may here notice a peculiar apterous female ant recently 

 described by Andre under the name of Pseudodicthadia incerta. 

 He thought this might prove to be the female of Eciton- 

 Labidus ; but his description and figure are imperfect, and do not 

 greatly support his idea of a connection between Eciton and 

 Pseudodicthadia. 



ii. The group DORYLINI includes the genus Dorylus, which was 

 founded many years ago for Insects very like Labidus. As in 

 the case of the American Insect named, males only were known ; 

 two or three allied genera, consisting exclusively of individuals 

 of the sex mentioned, were subsequently described. In the 

 VOL. VI N 



