Iridomyrmex purpureus

Meat Ant at Aranda, ACT

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Iridomyrmex purpureus JonLewis 22 Feb 2026
Iridomyrmex purpureus KMcCue 21 Feb 2026

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User's notes

They were intent on building a volcano type structure - are they that sure it will rain? Is this usual behaviour.

1 comment

   22 Feb 2026
Hi KMcCue, there were certainly plenty of busy ants yesterday - I think they must read the weather forecast. Most meat ant nests aren’t raised up around the nest entrances like your photo, but you sometimes see them like this. I think it may have more to do with the soil that the particular nest is in than rain preparation. Cheers, Jon

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Location information

Sighting information

  • 16 - 100 Abundance
  • 21 Feb 2026 05:51 PM Recorded on
  • KMcCue Recorded by
  • 5mm to 12mm Animal size

Collections

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

Quality score 6 / 7
  • Images or audio
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
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  • Additional attributes
  • More than one media file
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