Polyrhachis semiaurata
1 A golden spiny ant at Jerrabomberra, NSW
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| Polyrhachis semiaurata | JonLewis | 25 Apr 2022 | |
| Polyrhachis semiaurata | SteveBorkowskis | 23 Apr 2022 |
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User's notes
Nesting in a hollow of a fallen log. Found some of the ants were carrying another live ant of the same species into the nest. One of the ants being carried seemed perfectly healthy when I separated it from the ant carrying it
2 comments
25 Apr 2022
Hi Steve, great photos, as usual. Some ants do a fair bit of carrying of their nestmates. If the ants are moving from one nest to another, for an ant who already knows where they are going, the most efficient way to get other ants to the new nest is to simply carry them straight to it as the ant being carried doesn't really need to know how to find their way back. In contrast, if one ant is trying to lead another to a food source, they do something called "tandem running", where the one who knows where they are going runs in front, laying a scent trail for the one behind and stopping frequently so the second ant can catch up. In this way the second ant actually learns where it is going and how to find its way home. Cheers, Jon
25 Apr 2022
Thanks for the explanation Jon, it seems so logical now you’ve put it in context. These are such a striking ant it’s hard to walk by without stopping to observe them.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.213639-35.389856
- Altitude 672.0m
- Places Jerrabomberra, NSW
Sighting information
- 16 - 100 Abundance
- 23 Apr 2022 02:28 PM Recorded on
- SteveBorkowskis Recorded by
Collections
- SteveBorkowskis Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Polyrhachis semiaurata Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Insects
Species information
- Polyrhachis semiaurata Scientific name
- A golden spiny ant Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 818.5m 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
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Additional attributes