''Iridomyrmex lividus'' 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 ''

Iridomyrmex ''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicida ...

''. Described by Shattuck in 1993, the ant is endemic 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 ...

and resembles a similar appearance to the

Meat ant The meat ant (''Iridomyrmex purpureus''), also known as the gravel ant or southern meat ant, is a species of ant endemic to Australia. A member of the genus ''Iridomyrmex'' in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, it was described by British entomolo ...

(''Iridomyrmex purpureus'').Shattuck, S. O. 1993a. Revision of the ''Iridomyrmex purpureus'' species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebr. Taxon. 7: 113-149 (page 125, fig. 12 worker described)

References

Iridomyrmex Hymenoptera of Australia Insects described in 1993 {{Iridomyrmex-stub