Giant Bulldog Ant

Myrmecia brevinoda

''Myrmecia brevinoda'' is a species of bull ant which is only native to Australia. These ants are only found in the eastern Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. It was first discovered in 1910.
Bull ant blitzkrieg A winged Myrmecia brevinoda showed no fear when our paths crossed during summer, earlier this year. This moment captured as it rushed me at speed while crawling across a window with ease. Impressively large in size, fast moving and highly alert - these ants have advanced vision and are able to look out for potential threats from a distance of 1 metre. I have a suspicion I was being tracked by this character way before I had spotted it. The strong claw-like mandibles seen here help them in searching for food, crushing prey and to scare off predators. Their sting contains extremely potent venom which causes severe pain. This is either a potential queen or winged male during nuptial flight. 4 cm body length Australia,Formicidae,Geotagged,Hymenoptera,Macro,Myrmecia,Myrmecia brevinoda,Summer,arthropod,bull ant,bulldog ants,fauna,insect,invertebrate

Appearance

Worker ants have been known to measure 3.7 cm in total length, while queens can exceed 4.0 cm in length, making them one of the largest type of bull ant in Australia and in the world. Most of their body is dark red, with the exception of the bulbous part of their abdomen being black.

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderHymenoptera
FamilyFormicidae
GenusMyrmecia
SpeciesM. brevinoda
Photographed in
Australia