Myrmecia gulosa
| Red bull ant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Myrmecia |
| Species: | M. gulosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmecia gulosa (Fabricius, 1775) | |
 | |
The red bull ant (Myrmecia gulosa), also known as the giant bull ant or "hoppy joe", is a species of bulldog ant from the genus Myrmecia. It is abundant throughout Eastern Australia.
The first Myrmecia gulosa specimen was collected in 1770 by Joseph Banks, making it one of the first Australian insects to be collected and described. [1]
As one of the largest of ant species, adult individuals have been observed to be as long as 15 mm to 30 mm in body length. The head and thorax are typically coloured red-brown; the rear half of the abdomen is black and the mandibles brown-yellow. Adults characteristically possess the long, powerful serrated mandibles and a venom-laced sting capable of causing severe pain for a couple of days. Unlike most other ant species, red bull ants lack the ability of chemical senses; however, this is compensated by their extremely keen vision, with which they can spot and respond to intruders two metres away.
Regarded as a relatively "primitive" ant species, red bull ants are known to be solitary predators that are occasionally uncooperative with one another, whose social behaviour is poorly developed in comparison to more "advanced" species. They are notoriously aggressive hunters able to subdue formidable prey such as bees and other ants. Unable to eat solid food, adult ants feed on juices from the prey insects; the meat of the prey is fed to the colony's larvae. Their diet is supplemented by the workers' own trophic (infertile) eggs, which are commonly fed to the queen and larvae.
Nests are constructed underground; tunnel systems may become quite extensive.
Notes
External links
- "Myrmecia gulosa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
- "Myrmecia gulosa (Fabricius)". CSIRO. 2004-09-19. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
- "Red Bull Ant - Myrmecia gulosa". 2006-09-26. Archived from the original on 2006-11-13. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
- Moffett, Mark W. (May 2007). "Lone Huntress: The Bulldog Ant". National Geographic Magazine: 140–149. ISSN 0027-9358
- Bull Ants Fact File. Australian Museum. Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2007-04-20
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