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Myrmecia, often called bulldog ants, bull ants, or jack-jumpers (although jack jumper really only describes M. pilosula, and not all species), is a genus of ants. Bull ants can grow to over 40 mm in length, with the smallest species 15 mm long. Almost all of the approximately 90 species are endemic to Australia, with the single exception of Myrmecia apicalis from New Caledonia, where it is rare.[1]
These ants are well-known in Australia for their aggressive behavior and powerful stings. The venom of these ants has the potential to induce anaphylactic shock in allergic sting victims. As with most severe allergic reactions, if left untreated the reaction may be lethal. These large, alert ants have characteristic large eyes and long, slender mandibles. They have superior vision, able to track and even follow intruders from a distance of 1 meter.
Diet
Detail of head and mandibles
Bull ants eat small insects, honeydew (a sweet, sticky liquid found on leaves, deposited from various insects), seeds, fruit, fungi, gums, and nectar. The adult ants mainly eat nectar and honeydew, but the ant larvae are carnivores that eat small insects brought back to them by hunting worker ants. The workers can also regurgitate food back in the nest so other ants can eat it.
Species
- Myrmecia aberrans Forel, 1900
- Myrmecia acuta Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia analis Mayr, 1862
- Myrmecia apicalis Emery, 1883
- Myrmecia arnoldi Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia athertonensis Forel, 1915
- Myrmecia auriventris Mayr, 1870
- Myrmecia borealis Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia brevinoda Forel, 1910
- Myrmecia browningi Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia callima (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia cephalotes (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia chasei Forel, 1894
- Myrmecia chrysogaster (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia clarki Crawley, 1922
- Myrmecia comata Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia croslandi Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia cydista (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia desertorum Wheeler, 1915
- Myrmecia dichospila Clark, 1938
- Myrmecia dimidiata Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia dispar (Clark, 1951)
- Myrmecia elegans (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia erecta Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia esuriens Fabricius, 1804
- Myrmecia eungellensis Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia exigua (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia fabricii Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia ferruginea Mayr, 1876
- Myrmecia flammicollis Brown, 1953
- Myrmecia flavicoma Roger, 1861
- Myrmecia forceps Roger, 1861
- Myrmecia forficata (Fabricius, 1787)
- Myrmecia formosa Wheeler, 1933
- Myrmecia froggatti Forel, 1910
- Myrmecia fucosa Clark, 1934
- Myrmecia fulgida Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia fulviculis Forel, 1913
- Myrmecia fulvipes Roger, 1861
- Myrmecia fuscipes Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia gilberti Forel, 1910
- Myrmecia gratiosa Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia gulosa (Fabricius, 1775)
- Myrmecia harderi Forel, 1910
- Myrmecia hilli (Clark, 1943)
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- Myrmecia hirsuta Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia infima Forel, 1900
- Myrmecia inquilina Douglas & Brown, 1959
- Myrmecia loweryi Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia ludlowi Crawley, 1922
- Myrmecia luteiforceps Wheeler, 1933
- Myrmecia mandibularis Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia maura Wheeler, 1933
- Myrmecia maxima Moore, 1842
- Myrmecia michaelseni Forel, 1907
- Myrmecia midas Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia minuscula Forel, 1915
- Myrmecia mjobergi Forel, 1915
- Myrmecia nigra Forel, 1907
- Myrmecia nigriceps Mayr, 1862
- Myrmecia nigriscapa Roger, 1861
- Myrmecia nigrocincta Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia nobilis (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia occidentalis (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia pavida Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia petiolata Emery, 1895
- Myrmecia picta Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia picticeps Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia piliventris Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia pilosula Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia potteri (Clark, 1951)
- Myrmecia pulchra Clark, 1929
- Myrmecia pyriformis Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia queenslandica Forel, 1915
- Myrmecia regularis Crawley, 1925
- Myrmecia rowlandi Forel, 1910
- Myrmecia rubicunda (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia rubripes Clark, 1951
- Myrmecia rufinodis Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia rugosa Wheeler, 1933
- Myrmecia simillima Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia subfasciata Viehmeyer, 1924
- Myrmecia swalei Crawley, 1922
- Myrmecia tarsata Smith, 1858
- Myrmecia tepperi Emery, 1898
- Myrmecia testaceipes (Clark, 1943)
- Myrmecia tridentata Ogata & Taylor, 1991
- Myrmecia urens Lowne, 1865
- Myrmecia varians Mayr, 1876
- Myrmecia vindex Smith, 1858
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References
- ^ Australian Ants Online
External links
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