Bull ant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Myrmecia pyriformis |
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| Myrmecia pyriformis | |
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Myrmeciinae
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M. pyriformis
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| Myrmecia pyriformis Smith, 1858
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Myrmecia pyriformis, also known as the bull ant or inch ant, is a type of ant found in Australia. These ants are quite common in many big Australian cities. You'll mostly see them in the eastern parts of the country. They look a lot like another ant called Myrmecia forficata.
These ants can be pretty big! Myrmecia pyriformis workers usually measure around 14 to 23 millimeters (about 0.5 to 0.9 inches) long. Female workers can grow even larger, up to 26 millimeters (about 1 inch). Male ants are a bit smaller, growing to about 18 to 20 millimeters (about 0.7 to 0.8 inches) long. Their strong jaws (mandibles) and most other parts are dark red. Sometimes, their middle body section (thorax) can be blackish-brown.
Did you know that Myrmecia pyriformis ants can survive without a queen? Most ant colonies need a queen to lay eggs. But in this species, the female worker ants can also lay eggs and have babies. In 1998, a colony of these ants was found without a queen. Even without a queen, the colony kept making new worker ants for three more years!
The Guinness World Records once named Myrmecia pyriformis as the world's most dangerous ant. This is because of their painful sting and aggressive nature.
About Myrmecia pyriformis
Myrmecia pyriformis was first officially described in 1858. A British scientist named Frederick Smith gave it its scientific name. He studied ants collected from places like Melbourne and the Hunter River in Australia. These original ant samples are now kept in the Natural History Museum in London.
Smith noticed that M. pyriformis looked very similar to Myrmecia forficata. However, he pointed out that M. pyriformis ants are generally bigger. Their heads are also more square-shaped. Over the years, scientists have studied these ants to understand how they are related to other ant species.
What They Look Like
Myrmecia pyriformis ants look a lot like M. forficata, but there are ways to tell them apart. M. pyriformis is usually bigger and has a darker color. Their heads and the part of their body where wings would attach (called the alitrunk) are often dark reddish-brown or blackish-brown.
Their jaws (mandibles) are wider than those of M. forficata. The front part of their face (called the clypeus) is covered in hair. The small segment connecting their body parts (called the postpetiole) also has very short, greyish or brown hairs.
See also
- In Spanish: Hormigas bulldog para niños
