About Ants

Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera which also includes sawflies, bees and wasps. Over 150,000 species of Hymenoptera have been described. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typically have a special ovipositor for inserting eggs into hosts or places that are otherwise inaccessible. The ovipositor is often modified into a stinger.

 

Dolly Ant

This Dolly Ant Dolichoderus sp. sub-family Dolichoderinae was wandering on milkweed flowers. Body length 10 mm. Dolly Ants are black and found on plants.

Photo: Robert Whyte

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Red Spider Ants

These Red Spider Ants Leptomyrmex rufipes sub-family Dolichoderinae were dragging a roll of leaf material. Spider Ants are fast moving, with long legs and antenna, an elongated head and a thin body, orange-red head and thorax and black abdomen. Sometimes they have their gaster cocked up in the air.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Idiomyrmex sp.

This small ant Idiomyrmex sp. sub-family Dolichoderinae had a body length of 2-3 mm. It was in a colony under the bark of a dead treestump, probably an extension of an underground nest, or a foraging trail. Idiomyrmex spp. include meat and tyrant ants. It has a concave rear face like Ochtellus glaber but does not appear have that ant’s characteristically shaped petiole. Idiomyrmex spp. tend to be aggressive.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Black House Ants

These ants looks most like Black House Ants Ochtellus glaber sub-family Dolichoderinae. They were on a young Acronychia laevis tending aphids, something this species is known to do. Ochtellus glaber is an ant 2-3 mm with a distinctive concave rear face, similar to Iridomyrmex sp. but with a thin flattened petiole characteristic of this genus which can be seen side on (segment prior to gaster).

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Papyrius sp.

There are five described species and subspecies of Papyrius. P. flavus, P. nitidus, P. nitidus clitellarius and P. nitidus queenslandensis are limited to Australia and New Guinea. Nests of Papyrius are generally associated with trees or dead wood. They forage on low vegetation, trees, logs or on the ground, and are known to tend the caterpillars of several butterflies.

Winged queens and workers. Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Rhytidoponera aciculata

Rhytidoponera aciculata is in the sub-family Ectatomminae. This specimen has a body length about 11 mm. They are low moving and not very active. In some cases to the naked eye the body looks pitted and somewhat darkly greenish iridescent like that of a green ant. It was easy to find in the leaf litter while weeding panic grass, mock orange, ochna, madeira on a dry sclerophyl hillside, UBD map 178 C2-C3. Native vegetation mostly eucalyptus, acacias, some cleodendrum.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Household Sugar Ant

Household Sugar Ant Camponotus humilior is in subfamily with body length 5-8 mm. Camponotus is the largest ant genus in the world with more than 1500 described species and subspecies, more than 100 in Australia. They occur in virtually all habitats. According to Queensland Museum the Household Sugar Ant, Camponotus humilior commonly nests inside houses in wall cavities or ceiling spaces in south-east Queensland. The workers are nocturnal and are often found wandering inside houses at night. Outdoors this species nests in rotten wood on the ground or in cavities or dead branches in trees.

Major worker. Photo: Robert Whyte

Winged males. Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Strobe Ant

The Strobe Ant Opisthopsis pictus is in sub-family Formicinae. They have a distinctive jerky movement. They move quickly for short distances, pause, then move again. A nest of a few hundred workers may be found in soil often at the base of a tree. They forage during the day on the ground, on tree trunks and on foliage.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Polymorphic Goblin Ant

The Polymorphic Goblin Ant Orectognathus versicolor is in sub-family Myrmicinae. This specimen was collected late August 2009 in a patch of good quality remnant dry rainforest known as “The Island” on the northern side of the junction of Fish and Enoggera Creeks, Walton Bridge Reserve, The Gap. Body length was 4 mm.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Red-thighed Spiny Ant

The Red-thighed Spiny Ant Polyrhachis rufifemur is in sub-family Formicinae. Queensland Museum’s Chris Burwell writes: “a fairly common species in Brisbane called Polyrhachis rufifemur lacks the strong golden-coloured abdomen seen in P. ammon and P. angusta and usually has conspicuously reddish coloured legs. Both P. ammon and P. angusta don’t have any spines at the front of the ‘thorax’, while P. rufifemur has short spines.”

Photo: Robert Whyte

A very striking ant, the Red-thighed Spiny Ant has hundreds of sightings and great photos on iNaturalist. Photo: Robert Whyte

The specimen was collected 8 June 2009 in West End nesting under bark on a weedy hillside of mostly acacia and eucalypt, some clerodendrum. Photo: Robert Whyte

This specimen was found at Chapel Hill. Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Polyrhachis sp.

This undescribed Spiny Ant Polyrhachis sp. is in sub-genus Hagiomyrma, sub-family Formicinae. Polyrhachis is in sub-family Formicinae which is one of the largest and most diverse ant genera. Species in the subgenus Cyrtomyrma are weaver ants, nesting in folded leaves held together with larval silk.

Photo: Robert Whyte

Photo: Robert Whyte

An ant colony between two living leaves of Poison Peach Trema tomentosa at Walton Bridge Reserve on Saturday 14 April 2007. Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Dome-backed Spiny Ant

Dome-backed Spiny Ant Polyrhachis australis in sub-family Formicinae is a common ant in Queensland. It is an omnivore living in open forest and closed forest. It is terrestrial with arboreal nests. These ants live in nests of leaves and debris held together by the silk produced by larvae. They swarm out when the nest is disturbed and can emit an unpleasant smell.

Photo: Robert Whyte

This photo of the Dome-backed Spiny Ant Polyrhachis australis in sub-family Formicinae shows the characteristic identifying spines on the mesosoma. Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Daemel’s Spiny Ant

Daemel’s Spiny Ant Polyrhachis daemeli is in sub-family Formicinae. A large black ant in woodland, vine scrub rainforest and suburban gardens with silvery patches and strong spines. The silvery patches are the result of a thick covering of fine silvery hairs on the top of the head, the mesosoma and petiole. Nests in hollow branches and treetrunks.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Bull Ant

A Bull Ant Myrmecia comata in sub-family Myrmicinae looks very similar to the ‘real’ Giant Bull Ant Myrmecia brevinoda. M. brevinoda is found in rainforest locally and M. comata in open forest. M. brevinoda is mostly nocturnal and M. comata diurnal.

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Jumping Jack

Jumping Jack Myrmecia nigrocincta is in sub-family Myrmicinae. These bull ants move in a jumping manner, are quite aggressive, and have a potent sting. They pour out of a disturbed nest to chase off intruders. There are some really nice photos of this ant on the web, this blurry out of focus one is not one of them. The species was first described by Frederick Smith in 1858. Colonies of this ant are abundant in eastern Australia. Ants of this species are known for their ability to jump up to 10 centimetres, and they also have a powerful, venomous sting. Rather than foraging on the ground, M. nigrocincta prefer to forage in trees where they are known to pollinate certain flowers. M. nigrocincta is an accomplished jumper with leaps ranging from 76 to 102 millimetres (3 to 4 in). It has good vision and can be observed running amongst plants and leaves, occasionally jumping from one branch to another. 

Photo: Robert Whyte

Photo: Robert Whyte

Photo: Robert Whyte

 

Podomyrma sp.

Podomyrma ants are in sub-family Myrmicinae and are found from Indonesia to Australia. They nest in hard dead wood and are often seen foraging on tree trunks and branches.

Photo: Robert Whyte