Leptomyrmex sp. (genus)
Spider ant at Numeralla, NSW
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| Leptomyrmex sp. (genus) | JonLewis | 17 Mar 2022 | |
| Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus | SteveBorkowskis | 13 Mar 2022 |
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User's notes
I’m guessing this may be a Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus Queen? Attracted to UV light.
1 comment
17 Mar 2022
Hi Steve, I think you are right about the genus - the very long thin legs, the long head and long projecting mandibles all point to Leptomyrmex. I'm pretty sure this is a male rather than a queen, and there is very little information on males to allow us to ID it to species. There are at least three species of Leptomyrmex we could get where you found this ant, including L. erythrocephalus, L. wiburdi and L nigriventris. Interestingly, though, if it was a queen, we could be sure of one thing - it can't be Leptomyrmex erythrocephalus, as this is one of the species in this genus which has "ergatoid" queens, which means the queens don't have wings, they just have to walk everywhere when they leave the nest to find a mate! There is some interesting reading at https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Leptomyrmex_erythrocephalus. Good sighting. Cheers, Jon
Location information
- Places Numeralla, NSW
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- SteveBorkowskis Recorded by
- 12mm to 25mm Animal size
Collections
- SteveBorkowskis Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Leptomyrmex sp. (genus) Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Insects
Species information
- Leptomyrmex sp. (genus) Scientific name
- Spider ant Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1129m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species