Iridomyrmex purpureus
Meat Ant at Duffy, ACT
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| Iridomyrmex purpureus | JonLewis | 20 Sep 2026 | |
| Iridomyrmex purpureus | Icing | 19 Sep 2026 |
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User's notes
This little white insect is scattered around the paddock on acacia trees. Ants gather around them.
2 comments
21 Sep 2026
I realise the white creatures the ants are tending may actually be moth's eggs but not sure what species. Thanks for IDing the ant species!
21 Sep 2026
Hi Icing, the creature is Wattle Tick Scale, Cryptes baccatus. Like all scale insects, it produces sugary secretions that the ants collect. Cheers, Jon
Location information
- Places Duffy, ACT
Sighting information
- 16 - 100 Abundance
- Icing Recorded by
- Some kind of psyllid? There was a cluster of them on an acacia mearnsi. Associated plant
- The ants were tending the round white creatures and seemed to eat from the small purple dot on the centre of each creature. Associated animal
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
Collections
- Icing NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Latest 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
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location