Iridomyrmex purpureus
1 Meat Ant at Molonglo Valley, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Iridomyrmex purpureus | JonLewis | 17 Jan 2022 | |
| Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus | CathB | 10 Jan 2022 |
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1 comment
17 Jan 2022
HI Cath, not the correct ID, but you are quite right that they look a lot like Leptomyrmex, with the reddish head and long-looking legs. Iridomyrmex purpureus don't normally look quite like this, but you have seen individuals from two different nests in the middle of a dispute over territory or a food source, and they make these very characteristic body poses, trying to look as big as possible. There is good information on this included in the Wikipedia page for these ants, quite a long way down the page under the heading "Ritualised Fighting", where you will see a photo just like yours! Cheers, Jon
Location information
- Coordinates 149.084146-35.271352
- Maps Aranda Bushland
- Places Molonglo Valley, ACT
Sighting information
- 16 - 100 Abundance
- 5 Jan 2022 07:47 AM Recorded on
- CathB Recorded by
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
Collections
- CathB Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Iridomyrmex purpureus Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Insects
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
- External link More information
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Synonyms
Iridomyrmex purpurea
Record quality
Quality score
4 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description