Dorylus (Anomma) wilverthi Emery

Wheeler, W. M., 1922, The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition., Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45, pp. 39-269 : 48

Dorylus (Anomma) wilverthi Emery

Plates II, III, and IV

This fine species, the workers of which are easily recognized by the elongated and divergent posterior corners of the head (Fig. 16), is represented by a large series from Avabuki and a single small worker from Faradje; also by five workers from Medje and Akenge taken from the stomachs of toads, Bufo polycercus and B. funereus (Lang and Chapin).

The temporary nest is shown in Plate II, the ants massed on the ground in Plate III. Concerning these ants Mr. Lang says: "We had considerable trouble with them, for they started a nest near our camp at the base of a coffee bush where some pineapple plants were growing. I took two photos before burning the place. One shows the masses of army ants heaped on top of the other. It was impossible to see what they had beneath them, but after the fire, we found that they eovered innumerable eggs and larvae. The other photo shows the mounds or heaps of earth particles carried out by the workers. They come on steadily, each one with a particle of soil in its jaws, and, as soon as they arrive at the summit of the mound, they open their mandibles and the grain of sand rolls into place. After the fire they began to emigrate in enormous numbers, building their roads as they proceeded. There was one main line about an inch wide, excluding the soldiers. I followed this particular line for a distance of about 500 yards into the forest. Sometimes the ants seemed to have disappeared entirely into the ground, since they traveled in tunnels, but by searching I discovered their course some distance beyond. I was unable to ascertain where the huge army deposited its eggs and larvae. For three days the workers carried larvae and eggs out of the old nest. The brood was carried under the body so that it could not be seen by the superficial observer." These observations were made at Avakubi.