Myrmecia

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Myrmecia

Red Bull Ant

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Hexapoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Suborder:	Apocrita
Superfamily:	Vespoidea
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmeciinae
Genus:	Myrmecia

Species

Myrmecia aberrans
Myrmecia auriventris
Myrmecia cephalotes
Myrmecia gulosa
Myrmecia mandibularis
Myrmecia nigrocincta
Myrmecia picta
Myrmecia pilosula
Myrmecia tepperi
Myrmecia urens

Myrmecia, often called bulldog ants, bull ants, or jack-jumpers (although jack jumper really only describes a specific species in the genus and not all species), is a genus of ants. Bull ants can grow to over 2 cm in length.

These ants are well-known in Australia for their aggressive behavior and powerful stings. The venom of these ants has a chance to induce anaphylactic shock in allergic sting victims. As with most severe allergic reactions, if left untreated the reaction may be lethal. These large, alert ants have characteristic large eyes and long, slender mandibles and they have superior vision, able to track and even follow intruders from a distance of 1 meter.

Bulldog Ant

[edit] Diet

Bull ants eat small insects, honeydew (a sweet, sticky liquid found on leaves, deposited from various insects), seeds, fruit, fungi, gums, and nectar. The adult ants mainly eat nectar and honeydew, but the ant larvae are carnivores that eat small insects brought back to them by hunting worker ants. The workers can also regurgitate food back in the nest so other ants can eat it.