Myrmecia simillima
A Bull Ant at Mount Clear, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Myrmecia simillima | JonLewis | 4 Oct 2021 | |
| Myrmecia forficata | rawshorty | 4 Oct 2021 |
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User's notes
25.4mm :)
2 comments
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
- https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0907080&shot=h&number=1
- https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0915837&shot=h&number=1
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.
Location information
- Coordinates 148.992196-35.857513
- Maps Namadgi National Park
- Places Mount Clear, ACT
Sighting information
- 2 Abundance
- 3 Oct 2021 10:24 AM Recorded on
- rawshorty Recorded by
- 25mm to 50mm Animal size
Collections
- rawshorty Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Myrmecia simillima Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Insects
Species information
- Myrmecia simillima Scientific name
- A Bull Ant Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1177m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location