Aenictogiton fossiceps

Aenictogiton fossiceps is only known from males, as is the case for all its congeners. The biology of this enigmatic genus remains a mystery. Brown (1975) mentioned the possibility that these ants are subterranean or otherwise strongly cryptobiotic; no foraging worker nor any trace of a colony has ever been found. Phylogenetic and morphological affinities to the army ant genus Dorylus suggest an army-ant-like lifestyle, although there is no current evidence for this. Most males were collected from light traps close to forest localities, indicating that Aenictogiton might prefer forested habitats. (Garcia, Wiesel and Fischer 2013)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia.

Nomenclature

 * . Aenictogiton fossiceps Emery, 1901d: 49, figs. 3,4 (m.) DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
 * Type-material: holotype male.
 * Type-locality: Democratic Republic of Congo: (no further data) (Staudinger & Bang-Haas).
 * Type-depository: MSNG.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1910b: 27; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 750; Santschi, 1924b: 200 (in key); Brown, 1975: 45; Bolton, 1995b: 58.
 * Distribution: Democratic Republic of Congo.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec M. L. 2016. Generic revision of the ant subfamily Dorylinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 608: 1–280.