Workers are extremely polymorphic, from small raiders to large-headed soldiers.
Fine-art photographic collection
Dorylus mayri
A West African army ant built around collective movement rather than a permanent nest.
About this species
West African driver ant
Dorylus mayriSantschi, 1912
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Dorylus mayri is a West African army ant. Like other driver ants, it forms enormous colonies that organise mass predatory raids and temporary nest aggregations rather than depending on a conventional excavated nest throughout the colony cycle.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Dorylinae · Dorylini · Dorylus
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
West AfricaBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire and surrounding countries.
Tropical forest, forest edge, plantations and humid savanna.
Coordinated columns move through litter, soil and vegetation, often under temporary covered trails.
A broad range of invertebrate prey and brood encountered during raids.
Very large colonies with a wingless queen and temporary bivouacs formed by the workers themselves.
What makes this species remarkable?
The living bivouac is made from the interlocked bodies of workers.
The queen is permanently wingless and can become enormously enlarged when reproductive.
Large males are winged and are sometimes called sausage flies because of their unusual appearance.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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