Iridomyrmex purpureus

1 Meat Ant at Molonglo Valley, ACT

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Identification history

	Iridomyrmex purpureus	17 Jan 2022	JonLewis
	Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus	10 Jan 2022	CathB

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1 comment

JonLewis wrote:

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

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Location information

Sighting information

16 - 100 Abundance
5 Jan 2022 07:47 AM Recorded on
CathB Recorded by
Collections
CathB Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Iridomyrmex purpureus Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Insects

Additional information

5mm to 12mm Animal size

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
Synonyms
Iridomyrmex purpurea

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