Myrmecia pyriformis

A Bull ant at Bruce, ACT

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Identification history

	Myrmecia pyriformis	26 Sep 2021	JonLewis
	Myrmecia sp., pilosula-group	23 Sep 2021	AlisonMilton

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User's notes

Inadvertently walked across their nest and disturbed them. Unlike most other ants, these will actively come towards you seeking you out.

3 comments

JonLewis wrote:

24 Sep 2021

Hi Alison, nice photos. Not sure about the ID, though. Have you considered Myrmecia pyriformis? Cheers, Jon

AlisonMilton wrote:

24 Sep 2021

Hi Jon, Yes I did consider this but thought the abdomen didn't have the stripes I could see in other photos of this species. Happy to be corrected.

JonLewis wrote:

26 Sep 2021

Hi Alison, I see what you mean, but there are other characters to look for. Some key features for field identification of Myrmecia (that is to say, without having a microscope) are the overall colour of the head, body and abdomen, the shape and colour of the mandibles and the colour of legs. Members of the Myrmecia pilosula group generally have yellowish mandibles which are relatively short, straight and slim, and the ends to the legs (tarses) are also yellowish. In comparison, the mandibles of Myrmecia pyriformis are dark coloured, vary substantially in width along their length and are much more heavily built, and the legs are more-or-less the same colour all the way along. If it's any comfort, I have to remind myself of these characters almost every time I try to ID Myrmecia on CNM! Cheers, Jon

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Location information

Coordinates 149.089442 -35.248137
Altitude 646.0m
Maps Gossan Hill Bruce Ridge to Gossan Hill
Places Bruce, ACT

Sighting information

16 - 100 Abundance
23 Sep 2021 11:35 AM Recorded on
AlisonMilton Recorded by
Collections
AlisonMilton Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Insects

Additional information

12mm to 25mm Animal size

Species information

Myrmecia pyriformis Scientific name
A Bull ant Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 1387.5m Recorded at altitude
80 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

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania