Australian ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops)

Species information

Videos and images

Authenticated (16/6/03) by Dr R. Taylor.

Caste: in social insect colonies, a group of individuals that are structurally and/ or behaviourally distinct, performing certain tasks. Examples are the soldier caste of termites and ants, and the workers of bees.
Invertebrate: animals with no backbone.
Larvae (plural): stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
Pupa; pl. pupae: stage in an insect’s development when huge changes occur, which reorganise the larval form into the adult form. In butterflies the pupa is also called a chrysalis.

IUCN Red List (October, 2002) www.redlist.org
Taylor, R. (June, 2003) Pers. comm.
Holldobler, B. and Wilson, E.O. (1990) The Ants. Springer-Verlag, Heidelburg.
Australian Ants Online (August, 2002) http://www.ento.csiro.au/science/ants/nothomyrmeciinae/nothomyrmecia/nothomyrmecia.htm
North, R. (1996) Ants. Whittet Books, London.