Driver ants

Definition

A common name for ants of the genus Dorylus, a group of Old World army ants distributed across sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia. These ants are characterized by enormous colony sizes (often exceeding 20 million workers), nomadic behavior with temporary subterranean bivouacs, and extreme caste polymorphism featuring soldiers with disproportionately large heads and powerful shearing mandibles. Unlike New World army ants (formerly Ecitoninae), driver ants are generalist predators rather than specialized ant-hunters, consuming a diverse array of arthropods and notably including earthworms as a major dietary component. The queens are the largest known living ants, reaching 40–63 mm in body length. The term derives from the ants' habit of driving ahead in dense swarms and flushing out prey.

Etymology

From English driver, referring to the ants' behavior of driving prey before them in advancing swarms; also known as safari ants or siafu (from Swahili)

Example

During a raid, a driver ant colony can consume 100,000 prey items per day, with the massive soldier caste using scissor-like mandibles to dismember earthworms and other invertebrates too large for minor workers to subdue.

Synonyms

• safari ants
• siafu

Related Terms

• Army ants
• Dorylus
• Ecitoninae
• Bivouac
• caste polymorphism
• nomadism
• swarm raid

Usage Notes

Driver ants specifically denotes Dorylus species; the term is sometimes used more loosely for any Old World army ant, but specialists restrict it to this genus. Contrast with New World army ants (Eciton, Labidus, Nomamyrmex, Neivamyrmex), which exhibit surface bivouacs and more specialized predatory habits. The name siafu is Swahili and widely used in East Africa; safari ants is common in southern Africa.