Myrmecia

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Myrmecia
Myrmecia esuriens

Myrmecia esuriens

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)
Superfamily : Vespoidea
Family : Ants (Formicidae)
Subfamily : Bulldog ants (Myrmeciinae)
Genre : Myrmecia
Scientific name
Myrmecia
Fabricius , 1804
Myrmecia gulosa

Myrmecia is a genus of bulldog ants (Myrmeciinae) withinthe ants family (Formicidae). The species of Myrmecia are distributed exclusively in Australia , the only exception to this is Myrmecia apicalis , whichoccursin New Caledonia . Myrmecia species are among the most pristine ant species in the world.

features

Ants of the genus Myrmecia can grow to be between 6 and 40 millimeters long. They differ from the other species of ants in their long, straight mandibles , their relatively large eyes and their bright red or orange coloring. Similar to knot ants (Myrmicinae), the stalk member ( petiolus ), which connects the mesosoma and abdomen, consists of two parts (petiolus and postpetiolus), instead of one part as is usual with ants.

Most species of Myrmecia have large, winged queens that form their own new state at a suitable location after the wedding flight . However, some species have ergatogynous queens that differ morphologically little from the workers. Still other species are at times social parasites and build a new state by invading a nest of a different species and killing the resident queen. One species has completely lost its worker caste and both queens and males are permanently found in nests of other species.

distribution

Recent studies suggest that the first species of Myrmecia first appeared at least 100 million years ago with the multiplication of flowering plants . Based on fossil finds, it is known that the species of this genus were once distributed all over the world, but today they only occur in Australia and New Caledonia. The species Myrmecia brevinoda was introduced into New Zealand in the 1940s , but has not been seen locally since 1981 and is considered extinct there.

behavior

The individuals of the genus Myrmecia show some archetypal and sometimes somewhat primitive behaviors for ants. The workers hunt individually and at times uncooperatively. However, they have comparatively very good eyesight, which gives them advantages when hunting. The ants mostly hunt on the ground or in low vegetation and mainly during the day, but some species are also nocturnal. They collect nectar and sap, as well as small invertebrates, the latter being fed to the larvae.

The social behavior of the ants is not very pronounced compared to more advanced species. There is no recruitment, and the ants cannot secrete chemical signals (pheromones) for their nest mates, nor do they react to them.

The nests are underground and often have small and hidden entrances that are typically covered with dry plant material and soil. A few species make their nests in rotted tree trunks, a species native to the northern rainforests of Australia, including on trees in epiphytic ferns. Most nests are small with a few hundred workers, but some communities can contain thousands of individuals. The nests are defended very aggressively.

The ants produce their poison in special glands in the abdomen. When stinging, the ant curves its stomach and injects the poison through the stinger. Usually the victim is held with the help of the mandibles. Sometimes the victim is first made a wound with a bite, into which the poison is then injected. The ants can give several stings in a row, which often happens. The sting can cause severe pain in humans. In some cases, allergic reactions ( anaphylactic shock ) can also occur, which can even lead to death. Between 1980 and 1999 there were six deaths from insect bites of the genus Myrmecia in Australia .

Systematics

There are about 90 species within the genus Myrmecia . The generic name is derived from the ancient Greek word μυρμήκος ("myrmecos") for ant.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Myrmecia Fabricius, 1804. CSIRO Ants down under, accessed on May 22, 2009 (English).
  2. ^ Mark W. Moffett: Lone Huntress. National Geographic , May 2007, accessed May 13, 2009 .
  3. ↑ PJ Lester, JB Keall: The apparent establishment and subsequent eradication of the Australian giant bulldog ant Myrmecia brevinoda Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in New Zealand . In: New Zealand Journal of Zoology . Volume 32. Royal Society of New Zealand, 2005, p. 353-357 .
  4. ↑ a b c Bull Ants Fact File. (No longer available online.) Australian Museum on- line, archived from the original on May 17, 2007 ; accessed on May 13, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.faunanet.gov.au
  5. ↑ Forbes McGain and Kenneth D. Angle: Ant sting mortality in Australia . In: Toxicon . Volume 40, Issue 8, 2002, pp. 1095-1100 .
  6. ^ Genus Myrmecia. ITIS, accessed on May 22, 2009 .
  7. ↑ Alex Wild: Ant Image Gallery (Formicidae). (No longer available online.) Www.myrmecos.net, archived from the original on April 18, 2009 ; accessed on May 26, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.myrmecos.net

literature

  • CSIRO , Division of Entomology: Insects of Australia . Melbourne University Press, 1991, ISBN 0-522-84638-6 .
  • John Clark : The Formicidae of Australia. Vol. 1. Subfamily Myrmeciinae . CSIRO, Melbourne 1951.

Web links

Commons : Myrmecia  - album with pictures, videos and audio files