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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

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Published on: October 5, 2018

The evolution of multiple mating in army ants.

Daniel J C Kronauer¹, Robert A Johnson, Jacobus J Boomsma

¹Institute of Biology, Department of Population Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. djckronauer@bi.ku.dk

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|March 14, 2007

Summary

Multiple mating in army ants, including Neivamyrmex and Aenictus, is ancient, evolving over 100 million years ago. This mating strategy appears convergent with honeybees, shaped by similar evolutionary pressures.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Behavioral ecology
Social insects

Background:

Eusocial Hymenoptera females mate early in life, but queens live for decades.
Multiple mating is rare, evolving in honeybees and specific ant lineages.
Army ants present a unique case for studying mating system evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

Estimate queen mating frequency in Neivamyrmex and Aenictus army ants.
Conduct the first comparative analysis of army ant mating system evolution.
Investigate the evolutionary origins and pressures shaping army ant mating systems.

Main Methods:

Estimating queen mating frequency in New World Neivamyrmex and Old World Aenictus.
Combining new data with existing estimates for Dorylus and Eciton army ants.
Comparative analysis of mating systems across diverse army ant species.

Main Results:

Neivamyrmex and Aenictus queens mate with 10-20 males, similar to large-colony army ants.
Multiple mating is inferred to be ancestral in army ants, predating 100 million years.
Army ant mating systems show convergence with honeybee mating systems.

Conclusions:

Multiple mating is an ancient trait in army ants, integral to their adaptive syndrome.
Convergent evolution likely shaped mating systems in distantly related social insects like ants and honeybees.
Selective pressures on mating systems may be similar across diverse eusocial species.