Myrmecia tarsata is a bull ant species native to Australia. The species belongs to the genus Myrmecia. Their distribution is large, mainly around New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.[1]
| Myrmecia tarsata | |
|---|---|
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| Myrmecia tarsata specimen | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmeciinae |
| Genus: | Myrmecia |
| Species: | M. tarsata
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| Binomial name | |
| Myrmecia tarsata Smith, 1858
| |
Appearance
editMyrmecia tarsata is quite a large bull ant at 22–24 millimetres (0.87–0.94 in) long, with the males being slightly smaller. The head, thorax, and other distinct features are mainly black, mandibles are yellow, and legs look to be a reddish yellow colour.[2][3]
The species of Myrmecia tarsata are known to have the gamergates gene, which workers are able to reproduce. This gene allows their colonies to last a while without a queen.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Myrmecia tarsata Smith, 1858". Atlas of Living Australia. Govt of Australia. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ Clark, John (1951). The Formicidae of Australia (Volume 1) (PDF). Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. pp. 28–32.
- ^ Smith, Fredrick (1858). Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London, British Museum. p. 145.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Dietemann, Vincent (2004). Gamergates in the Australian ant subfamily Myrmeciinae (PDF). Springer-Verlag.
External links
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Media related to Myrmecia tarsata at Wikimedia Commons
