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What the sources say

Army AntEciton burchellii

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Army Ant profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 43 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Eciton burchellii. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysTropical forests of Central and South America
The source saysEciton burchellii is found in the tropical regions of Central and South America ... they prefer heavily forested environmentsNote: stats.habitat; ADW 2005, range only
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysIUCN Red List No special statusNote: stats.conservationStatus. GBIF's Red List copy holds no category for Eciton burchellii and the prefetch found no assessment DOI, so no IUCN reference is cited. ADW says only that the species has no special status.
The page sayslives in the tropical regions of Central and South America, and it prefers heavily forested places
The source saysis found in the tropical regions of Central and South America ... they prefer heavily forested environments
The page saysIts workers come in many sizes, from 3 to 12 millimetres long.
The source saysare polymorphic, worker sizes range from 3mm to 12mmNote: ADW 2005; size only
The page saysThey have long, hook-shaped jaws, and tiny hooks on their feet that they use to grip each other as they form bridges and nests.
The source saysThey have long, pointed, falcate (hook-shaped) mandibles ... On their feet are tarsal hooks, which they use to grip each other as they form bridges and bivouacs
The page saysQueens have no wings.
The source saysEciton queens are unusual in that they do not have wings
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web lists tarantulas, scorpions and cockroaches too.
The source sayswith tarantulas, scorpions, beetles, roaches, grasshoppersNote: ADW cites Schneirla 1956 and Franks 1987 for the diet; cockroaches and crickets predominate in the dry season (same account)
The page saysThe ants subdue prey with stings and pull off legs and antennae with their jaws.
The source saysThey subdue prey with powerful stings, while also pulling off legs and antennae using mandibles made for pinching and gripping
The page saysWorkers have a well-developed sting.
The source saysWorkers have single faceted, compound eyes, double segmented waists, and a well-developed sting
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web calls it painful.
The source saysE. burchellii has a painful sting
The page saysThe same account says the species does not frequently come into contact with people.
The source saysthis species does not frequently come into contact with people
The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
The source saysE. burchellii has a painful stingNote: stats.dangerLevel; painful but rarely in contact with people
The page saystags: venomous
The source saysinjures humans bites or stings venomous venomousNote: tags; ADW marks the species venomous

Source
02

Kunhart & Willson 2024

Kunhart & Willson (2024). Intercolony Avoidance Optimizes Foraging in Eciton burchellii Army Ants. Sociobiology.

The page saysA colony of up to a million sisters that clings together as a living nest, then raids the forest floor as a fan-shaped army.
The source sayscolonies that number up to a million haplodiploid sisters ... the colony creates a bivouac (or nest) composed of bodies of individual colony members ... raiding as a fan-shaped “army” along a path across the forest floorNote: tagline
The page saysSocial ants and a wide variety of other arthropods
The source saysThe colony then subdues and transports a wide variety ... of social and non-social arthropods back to the bivouac for consumption; more than 50% of its diet is social ant preyNote: stats.diet
The page saysBuilds its nest out of the bodies of its own workers
The source saysthe colony creates a bivouac (or nest) composed of bodies of individual colony members at a protected site, such as a hollow treeNote: stats.superpower
The page saysA colony can number up to a million sisters.
The source sayscolonies that number up to a million haplodiploid sisters
The page saysThe colony's temporary nest, called a bivouac, is built from the bodies of its own members at a protected site such as a hollow tree.
The source saysthe colony creates a bivouac (or nest) composed of bodies of individual colony members at a protected site, such as a hollow tree
The page saysWithin the bivouac, a single queen lays up to 300,000 eggs in a few days.
The source saysWithin the bivouac, a single queen lays up to 300,000 eggs in a few days.
The page saysOn some days in its settled phase, the colony picks a direction at dawn and raids as a fan-shaped "army" across the forest floor.
The source saysSporadically, during the statary phase, the colony forages during the day by choosing a direction at dawn and raiding as a fan-shaped “army” along a path across the forest floor
The page saysLarge raids can sometimes be more than 30 metres wide.
The source sayslarge colony raids can sometimes exceed 30 m in width
The page saysThe colony subdues and transports a wide variety of social and non-social arthropods back to the bivouac for consumption.
The source saysThe colony then subdues and transports a wide variety ... of social and non-social arthropods back to the bivouac for consumption
The page saysMore than 50% of its diet is social ant prey.
The source saysmore than 50% of its diet is social ant prey
The page saysIn the nomadic phase that follows, colonies at a study site in Peru raided in one direction for an average of 78 metres and set up a new bivouac almost every night.
The source saysA nomadic phase follows ... where the colony raids in one direction for an average of 78 m ... and establishes a new bivouac almost every nightNote: average from Cocha Cashu, Manu National Park, Peru (n = 351 raids)
The page saysAt a study site in Manu National Park, Peru, colonies sat at one bivouac for an average of 21 days.
The source saysremain in the statary phase for an average of 21 days, based on observations at Cocha Cashu Biological Station (EBCC), Manu National Park, PeruNote: FAQ
The page saysThat fits the timing of egg and larval development within the nest.
The source saysThe statary phase thus follows the timing of egg and larval development within the nestNote: FAQ
The page saysThen a nomadic phase began, with a move to a new bivouac almost every night.
The source saysA nomadic phase follows ... establishes a new bivouac almost every nightNote: FAQ
The page saysHooks, jaws and up to a million sisters
The source sayscolonies that number up to a million haplodiploid sistersNote: heading
The page saysA raid sweeps the forest floor as a fan-shaped army
The source saysraiding as a fan-shaped “army” along a path across the forest floorNote: vibe.reason
The page sayslarge raids can sometimes be more than 30 metres wide
The source sayslarge colony raids can sometimes exceed 30 m in widthNote: vibe.reason

Source
03

Powell & Franks 2005

Powell & Franks (2005). Caste evolution and ecology: a special worker for novel prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysResearchers report that this is the only Eciton that preys on large arthropods as well as ants.
The source saysThis species is the only Eciton that preys upon large arthropods as well as ants
The page saysIt also has submajors, an exaggerated transport caste that specialise in carrying non-ant prey.
The source saysan exaggerated transport caste, or 'submajor' ... E. burchellii submajors are highly specialized on transporting non-ant prey

Source
04

Kaspari et al. 2011

Kaspari et al. (2011). Predation and patchiness in the tropical litter: do swarm-raiding army ants skim the cream or drain the bottle? Journal of Animal Ecology.

The page saysA study of leaf-litter invertebrates in four countries found that, contrary to its popular image, this species did not consistently reduce their biomass.
The source saysIn Ecuador, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Panama, patches of forest floor were sampled for litter invertebrates immediately before and after army ant raids ... Contrary to Eciton's popular image, only Labidus consistently reduced the biomass of litter invertebrates
The page saysIts impact was concentrated on rich patches of invertebrates.
The source saysEciton's impacts were concentrated on rich patches of invertebrates

Source
05

Brumfield et al. 2007

Brumfield et al. (2007). Phylogenetic conservatism and antiquity of a tropical specialization: Army-ant-following in the typical antbirds (Thamnophilidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

The page saysThey prey on arthropods and small vertebrates flushed from the forest floor by the swarm.
The source saysbirds prey upon arthropods and small vertebrates flushed from the forest floor by swarm raids of the army-ant Eciton burchellii
The page saysOne group, the typical antbirds, includes species that appear incapable of foraging independently of swarms.
The source says(3) those that appear incapable of foraging independently of swarms (obligate followers)
The page saysMolecular dating indicates that army-ant-following has persisted in antbirds since the late Miocene.
The source saysmolecular dating indicates that army-ant-following has persisted in antbirds since the late Miocene
The page saysSome Neotropical birds follow these raids.
The source saysOne of the most novel foraging strategies in Neotropical birds is army-ant-following

Source
06

Kronauer et al. 2006

Kronauer et al. (2006). A reassessment of the mating system characteristics of the army ant Eciton burchellii. Naturwissenschaften.

The page saysA reanalysis of genetic data found a mean queen-mating frequency of 12.9 males, which the authors called very high.
The source saysMating frequencies in E. burchellii are indeed very high (mean observed and effective queen-mating frequencies of 12.9 each)Note: FAQ
The page saysThe same study genotyped successive generations of workers from one old queen and found no evidence that she had mated again.
The source sayswe found no evidence for repeated mating by genotyping sequential worker generations produced by a single old queen, showing that she did not obtain new inseminations despite ample opportunities for matingNote: FAQ

Source
07

Meisel 2006

Meisel (2006). Thermal Ecology Of The Neotropical Army Ant Eciton Burchellii. Ecological Applications.

The page saysHeat. In Costa Rican forest fragments, colonies avoided entering open pasture in full sun, at 51.3 degrees Celsius, at every edge they met, but readily crossed where artificial shade had been put up.
The source saysE. burchellii colonies in forest fragments avoided entering open pasture in full sun (51.3 degrees C) on 100% of all edge interactions; however, edges were readily crossed where artificial shaded areas had previously been installedNote: FAQ
The page saysCaptive ants held at 43 degrees survived 18.5 minutes.
The source saysCaptive ants held at 43 degrees C survived 18.5 minNote: FAQ
The page saysIn primary forest, raids avoided spots heated above 43 degrees, though they tolerated 45.5 degrees when prey baits were there.
The source saysAnt raids in primary forest avoided artificially established temperatures >43 degrees C but tolerated 45.5 degrees C in the presence of prey baitsNote: FAQ

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.