▁commonly ▁known ▁for ▁their ▁column - like ▁ra iding ▁formation ▁when ▁attack ing ▁term ite ▁feed ing ▁sites . ▁Their ▁s oph istic ated ▁ra iding ▁behaviour ▁gave ▁them ▁the ▁common ▁name ▁Mat abe le ▁ant ▁after ▁the ▁Mat abe le ▁tribe , ▁fier ce ▁war riors ▁who ▁over wh el med ▁various ▁other ▁tribes ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 8 0 0 s . ▁ ▁At ▁nearly ▁ ▁in ▁length , ▁M . ▁anal is ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁world ' s ▁largest ▁an ts . ▁ ▁Tax onomy ▁Meg ap on era ▁is ▁a ▁genus ▁of ▁pon er ine ▁ant ▁first ▁defined ▁by ▁Gustav ▁May r ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 2 ▁for ▁Form ica ▁anal is ▁( L atre ille , ▁ 1 8 0 2 ), ▁the ▁sole ▁species ▁belonging ▁to ▁the ▁genus ▁to ▁date . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 4 ▁William ▁L . ▁Brown , ▁Jr . ▁syn onym ised ▁the ▁genus ▁under ▁P ach y cond y la ▁even ▁though ▁he ▁lack ed ▁ph y log en etic ▁just ification , ▁thereby ▁changing ▁the ▁name ▁from ▁Meg ap on era ▁fo et ens ▁to ▁P ach y cond y la ▁anal is . ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 4 ▁Schmidt ▁and ▁Sh att uck ▁rev ived ▁Meg ap on era ▁back ▁to ▁full ▁genus ▁status ▁due ▁to ▁both ▁mole cular ▁and ▁morph ological ▁evidence . ▁Since ▁fo et ens ▁was ▁just ▁a ▁specific ▁ep ith et ▁incorrectly ▁used ▁throughout ▁the ▁literature ▁the ▁new ▁name ▁for ▁the ▁species