Monomorium sp. (genus)

A Monomorium ant at Wamboin, NSW

Monomorium sp. (genus) at Wamboin, NSW - 31 Jan 2020
Monomorium sp. (genus) at Wamboin, NSW - 31 Jan 2020
Monomorium sp. (genus) at Wamboin, NSW - 31 Jan 2020
Request use of media

Identification history

Monomorium sp. (genus) 4 Apr 2020 JonLewis
Iridomyrmex rufoniger 2 Apr 2020 natureguy

Identify this sighting


Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

User's notes

Tiny ants on flowerhead, ID just a guess based on other sightings.

1 comment

JonLewis wrote:
   4 Apr 2020
Hi Natureguy, these ants do look a bit like Iridomyrmex, but there are a couple of things that are a good guide towards Monomorium. Firstly, your ants are very shiny, and there are very few Iridomyrmex that are so glossy looking. Second, you can just see in your photos the structure of the ant between the main body and the tail (gaster) and this is a very important diagnostic feature for all ants. Between the main body and the gaster, ants can either have one small segment (a petiole) or they can have two small segments (a petiole and a post-petiole). Iridomyrmex belong to a sub-family of ants known as the Dolichoderinae, and they have only one segment between the body and the tail. Monomorium belong to the sub-family Myrmicinae, and they have two segments. You can just see the two segments, small bumps between the body and gaster in your photos. Cheers, Jon

Please Login or Register to comment.

Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • Less than 5mm Animal size
  • Unknown Gender

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
1,898,437 sightings of 21,107 species in 9,314 locations from 12,954 contributors
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.