Slave-Making Ant vs Wroughton's Army Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Slave-Making Ant Wroughton's Army Ant
Scientific Name Formica sanguinea Aenictus wroughtonii
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Formicidae
Size 5-9 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Western Asia, Japan India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Slave-Making Ant

A facultative slave-making ant that raids colonies of other Formica species to steal pupae. The stolen brood hatches and works for the slave-maker colony. Workers are reddish with darker heads and can also establish independent colonies.

💡

Did You Know?

Unlike obligate slave-makers, this species can survive without slaves, but raided colonies grow much faster.

Wroughton's Army Ant

A small reddish-brown army ant that conducts well-organized raids on termite mounds in tropical Asia. Workers are monomorphic and completely blind. Colonies are nomadic, regularly shifting their bivouac sites.

💡

Did You Know?

Their queens are dichthadiiform, meaning they are permanently wingless with a massively swollen abdomen devoted to egg production.