Iridomyrmex purpureus

Meat Ant at Wamboin, NSW

Iridomyrmex purpureus at Wamboin, NSW - 21 Jan 2020
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Wamboin, NSW - 21 Jan 2020
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Wamboin, NSW - 21 Jan 2020
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Wamboin, NSW - 21 Jan 2020
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Wamboin, NSW - 21 Jan 2020
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Identification history

Iridomyrmex purpureus 15 Apr 2020 JonLewis
Iridomyrmex purpureus 15 Apr 2020 JonLewis
Iridomyrmex sp. (genus) 15 Apr 2020 JonLewis
Iridomyrmex sp. (genus) 14 Apr 2020 natureguy

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User's notes

I believe this is a queen ant. I'm guessing Meat Ant (I. purpureus), as there were several in different locations associating with Meat Ants and also most of the local Meat Ant nests had winged individuals flying away.

2 comments

JonLewis wrote:
   15 Apr 2020
Hi Natureguy, I think you have made a good ID. Queens are sometimes hard to relate back to the workers we normally see, but there is a good image of an I. purpureus queen that has lost its wings available on AntWiki (https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Iridomyrmex_purpureus) and the match looks good enough for me, especially in combination with your field observations. Cheers, Jon
natureguy wrote:
   15 Apr 2020
Thanks Jon. Meat Ants are very common here. We have at least 10 nests on the property and they are also constantly digging in our pavement (a bit of a problem).

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Location information

Sighting information

  • 4 - 15 Abundance
  • 21 Jan 2020 10:20 AM Recorded on
  • natureguy Recorded by

Additional information

  • 12mm to 25mm Animal size
  • Female Gender
  • Burrow Breeding behaviour

Species information

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  • More than one media file
  • Confirmed by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
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