Myrmecia formosa is an Australian ant which belongs to the genus Myrmecia. This species is native to Australia. Their distribution in Australia has notably been studied and collected in New South Wales.[1]

Myrmecia formosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmeciinae
Genus: Myrmecia
Species:
M. formosa
Binomial name
Myrmecia formosa
Wheeler, 1933

Myrmecia formosa is a small species, as the typical size for a worker in the species is only 10–13 millimetres in length. The clypeus, pronotum, mesonotum, and the node is a blood red colour, the gaster, sides of the thorax, half of the head and other features are black, legs are brown, tarsi is a reddish like colour, and the mandibles and antennae are a reddish yellow. This species compared to others is rather unusual with its colours.[2][3][4]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Myrmecia formosa Wheeler, 1933". Atlas of Living Australia. Govt of Australia. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  2. ^ Wheeler, W.M (1933). Colony founding among ants, with an account of some primitive Australian species. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 52.
  3. ^ Clark, John (1951). The Formicidae of Australia (Volume 1) (PDF). Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. pp. 131–132.
  4. ^ R.W Taylor, K Ogata (1991). Ants of the genus Myrmecia Fabricius: a preliminary review and key to the named species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae) (PDF). Canberra: Australian National Insect Collection. p. 1632.[dead link]