''Amblyopone australis'', the southern Michelin ant, is a species of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

in the genus ''

Amblyopone ''Amblyopone'' is a genus of 10 species of ants, found in Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea and New Zealand.Yoshimura, M.; Fisher, B.L. 2012: A revision of male ants of the Malagasy Amblyoponinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with resurrections ...

'', native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The species was described by

Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson Dr Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson (26 November 1809 in Stralsund – 18 December 1848 in Berlin) was a trained medical doctor and a German entomologist. He was the author of many articles about insects mainly in ''Archiv für Naturgeschichte''. When w ...

in 1842. Workers can vary in colour from yellow to dark brown or black. They have a body length of 4.5–8mm; queens are larger. It has been accidentally introduced to New Zealand, where it has become widely established across the North Island. It is the largest ant species established in New Zealand.

Biology

''Amblyopone australis'' lives in relatively small colonies of tens to hundreds (up to 2000), typically under logs or stones. Adults forage above and below ground, preying upon other arthropods, paralysing them with their sting. Larvae are fed dismembered body parts of prey.

References

External links

AntWiki: ''Ambylopone australis''
– Includes map of global distribution *
Lessons from Little Creatures
'. Article on New Zealand ants from NZ National Geographic. Beautifully illustrated. Amblyoponinae Hymenoptera of Australia Ants of New Zealand Insects described in 1842 {{ant-stub Hymenoptera of New Zealand