Bull Ant Species: An Overview of the Best-Known Myrmecia

There are around 90 species of bull ants, all in the genus Myrmecia. Some are giants, some jump, some hunt at night and one even lives as a parasite in the nests of others. Here is an overview of the best-known species, with links to our posts about each one.

Myrmecia brevinoda, one of the largest ants in the world.

The jumpers

• Myrmecia pilosula: the famous jack jumper, a small black ant with yellow legs and the main cause of ant venom allergy in Australia. Read Myrmecia pilosula.

• Myrmecia croslandi: a jack jumper with just one pair of chromosomes, and the star of research on how ants learn their way home. Read Myrmecia croslandi.

• Myrmecia nigrocincta: the orange and black jumper ant of eastern Australia, which can leap up to 10 cm. Read Myrmecia nigrocincta.

The giants

• Myrmecia brevinoda: one of the largest ants in the world, with workers of almost 4 cm. Read Myrmecia brevinoda.

• Myrmecia gulosa: the red bull ant, collected by Joseph Banks in 1770. Read Myrmecia gulosa.

• Myrmecia pyriformis: the bull ant listed by Guinness World Records as the most dangerous ant in the world. Read Myrmecia pyriformis.

• Myrmecia forficata: the inchman ant of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. Read Myrmecia forficata.

Myrmecia gulosa, a giant bull ant from eastern Australia.

The night hunters

• Myrmecia nigriceps: the black-headed bull ant, which forages at dusk and has the largest eye lenses of any bull ant. Read Myrmecia nigriceps.

• Myrmecia midas: a nocturnal bull ant that finds its way home by polarised moonlight. Read Myrmecia midas.

More remarkable species

• Myrmecia tarsata: a daytime species that researchers compare with Myrmecia midas to understand how bull ant eyes are adapted to light. Read how bull ants see.

• Myrmecia apicalis: the only bull ant outside Australia, found on the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia.

• Myrmecia inquilina: a social parasite that lives in the nests of other bull ants, such as Myrmecia nigriceps and Myrmecia vindex. It is the only bull ant listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

• Myrmecia mjobergi: a tree-dwelling species that nests in staghorn ferns.

• Myrmecia pulchra: a species whose queens cannot fly and mate on the ground.

Myrmecia midas, a bull ant that is active at night.

Myrmecia nigriceps, easy to recognise by its black head.

More about bull ants

New to bull ants? Start with our 15 bull ant facts, or read about the bull ant sting.

Sources

• Wikipedia. Myrmecia (ant).

• Wikipedia. Myrmecia pilosula.

• Wikipedia. Myrmecia nigriceps.

Photos: © Nigel Main, © Peter Crawford, © Conner Margetts, © Greg Tasney