Iridomyrmex purpureus

Meat Ant at Hughes, ACT

Iridomyrmex purpureus at Hughes, ACT - 13 Feb 2021
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Hughes, ACT - 13 Feb 2021
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Hughes, ACT - 13 Feb 2021
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Hughes, ACT - 13 Feb 2021
Iridomyrmex purpureus at Hughes, ACT - 13 Feb 2021
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Identification history

Iridomyrmex purpureus 14 Feb 2021 JonLewis
Unidentified 14 Feb 2021 LisaH

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User's notes

Drama on the eucalypt sapling! These ants were monstering a beetle - they were curious, touching and moving in on the beetle, then retreating, until eventually leaving it alone. The beetle tried to skedaddle, but it had tiny legs and they were much bigger, so on many occasions one form of defense seemed to be going around in circles (along with a hardish shell.)

2 comments

JonLewis wrote:
   14 Feb 2021
Nice observation Lisa. Cheers, Jon
LisaH wrote:
   14 Feb 2021
Thank you. :)

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Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • Eucalypt Associated plant
  • Beetle Associated Insect
  • 5mm to 12mm Animal size

Species information

  • Iridomyrmex purpureus Scientific name
  • Meat Ant Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 963.87m Recorded at altitude
  • 582 images trained Machine learning
  • External link More 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
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