Myrmecia swalei

Myrmecia swalei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmeciinae
Genus: Myrmecia
Species: M. swalei
Binomial name
Myrmecia swalei
Crawley, 1922

Myrmecia swalei is an Australian ant which belongs to the Myrmecia genus. This species is native to Australia and is commonly distributed in Western Australia and South Australia. It was described by Crawley in 1922.[1]

Mandibles between the workers and queen are notable. The workers have larger mandibles while the queens are smaller. The average length for a worker is around 11-12.5 millimetres, and the queen is larger at 15-16.5 millimetres. The head, postpetiole and gaster are black, thorax and node is a bright red colour, and the mandibles are yellow. The antennae and legs are brown, but the scapes are more of a darker brown compared to the antennae and legs.[2][3][4]

References

  1. "Myrmecia swalei Crawley, 1922". Atlas of Living Australia. Govt of Australia. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  2. Clark, John (1951). The Formicidae of Australia (Volume 1) (PDF). Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. pp. 176–177.
  3. Crawley, W.C. (1922). New ants from Australia (PDF). Melbourne: Analis and Magazine of Natural History. p. 429.
  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. 1665.


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