Meranoplus sp. (genus)

3 Shield Ant at Throsby, ACT

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Identification history

	Meranoplus sp. (genus)	25 Nov 2021	JonLewis
	Unidentified	24 Nov 2021	CathB

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User's notes

About 5 mm long. Seen entering and leaving the hole.

4 comments

JonLewis wrote:

25 Nov 2021

Hi Cath, this is a Meranoplus queen, probably the same or similar species to sighting https://canberra.naturemapr.org/sightings/4248322. The queens don't have the distinctive shield on the back as it would get in the way of the wings when they are flying. Cheers, Jon

CathB wrote:

25 Nov 2021

Thanks Jon. I thought it looked more like Meranoplus than anything else, but I was confused by the lack of a shield.

CCng wrote:

25 Dec 2021

I don't think it is a Meranoplus, if you look it looks quite different from this one for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUlGRlzbGuc
Could it be some kind of Tetramorium?

JonLewis wrote:

27 Dec 2021

Hi CCng, thanks for the comment and the link to the video. It's great seeing some close-up film of the ants in their nest - lots of workers (all with the distinctive "shield" on their backs) tending the eggs and larvae, but also a queen who makes an appearance between about 41 seconds and 53 seconds into the film. She looks a bit different from the workers as she does not have the shield on her back - as I mentioned above, the queens have wings so they can fly to find a mate, but they lose the wings when they build a nest, and they don't have a shield as it would get in the way of the wings.
Your suggestion of Tetramorium (or possibly Austromorium) for this current sighting is a good one so I took a longer look at the images. If the ant in the image was a worker, it would be easy to tell Meranoplus and Tetramorium apart, but the queens are more difficult. However, I'm still inclined towards Meranoplus. The ID is not certain, but it is my best guess based on 1. the short petiole and post-petiole combination between the main body and the tail (Tetramorium queens usually seem to have a longer, more noticeable peduncle on the petiole) and 2. the striking colouration, which is the same as a common Meranoplus in the region. Thanks again for the comment - it really made me have to think! Cheers, Jon

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