Myrmecia simillima

A Bull Ant at Mount Clear, ACT

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Identification history

	Myrmecia simillima	4 Oct 2021	JonLewis
	Myrmecia forficata	4 Oct 2021	rawshorty

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User's notes

25.4mm :)

2 comments

JonLewis wrote:

4 Oct 2021

Hi Rawshorty, my that's a big one - a real Inch Ant. Your ID is very close, but I'm pretty sure the ant is Myrmecia simillima rather than Myrmecia forficata even though they are generally very similar looking ants. The shape of the mandibles is important in the ID of Myrmecia and in your photos you can see that the shaft of mandibles is pretty straight and gets thicker as it approaches the joint at the head, which is right for M. simillima. In contrast, for M. forficata the shaft of the mandibles gets thicker as it approaches the head until it is about two thirds the way there and then gets thinner again as it joins the head. Take a look at these photos of mounted specimens and you can see the difference. Cheers, Jon.
- https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0907080&shot=h&number=1
- https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0915837&shot=h&number=1

rawshorty wrote:

4 Oct 2021

Thanks Jon, i was going of the colour more than anything else. I was bitten by many of these when i was a kid, OUCH.

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