Leafcutter's Myrmecia pavida - Australian Bulldog Ants
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 2:18 pm
Taxonomy:
- Family: Formicidae
- Subfamily: Formicinae
- Genus: Myrmecia
- Species: pavida
- Binomial Nomenclature: [latin]Myrmecia pavida[/latin]
Origin: Australia
Features: Minor - Major castes, excellent sight and hunting abilities
Hibernation: Diapause July through to September at 10-15°C
Appearance of the queen: 26-30mm Brown-to-Light Brown/Red body, Black gaster, Visible Yellow tinge to mandibles
Appearance of the workers: 18-24mm Brown-to-Light Brown/Red body, Black gaster, Visible Yellow tinge to mandibles
Nest building: Soil, Test tube, Ytong
Food: sugar water, insects, fruit
Temperature: 26 - 28°C, but can tolerate much lower temperatures, 5-15°C
Humidity: 50 - 60% (Dry, desert conditions)
Well I find myself in the rare position of owning the beautiful, the famous, [latin]Myrmecia pavida[/latin]. The small colony is absolutely amazing, the Queen is huge and I think there is also a larger worker amongst the group. They are quick to detect movement and even as I was moving my hand around in the setup, they were following my hands.
The colony numbers:
Queen: 1
Workers: 5
Pupae: 1
Larvae: 2
Eggs: 4
Pictures are not great but here we go:
- Family: Formicidae
- Subfamily: Formicinae
- Genus: Myrmecia
- Species: pavida
- Binomial Nomenclature: [latin]Myrmecia pavida[/latin]
Origin: Australia
Features: Minor - Major castes, excellent sight and hunting abilities
Hibernation: Diapause July through to September at 10-15°C
Appearance of the queen: 26-30mm Brown-to-Light Brown/Red body, Black gaster, Visible Yellow tinge to mandibles
Appearance of the workers: 18-24mm Brown-to-Light Brown/Red body, Black gaster, Visible Yellow tinge to mandibles
Nest building: Soil, Test tube, Ytong
Food: sugar water, insects, fruit
Temperature: 26 - 28°C, but can tolerate much lower temperatures, 5-15°C
Humidity: 50 - 60% (Dry, desert conditions)
Well I find myself in the rare position of owning the beautiful, the famous, [latin]Myrmecia pavida[/latin]. The small colony is absolutely amazing, the Queen is huge and I think there is also a larger worker amongst the group. They are quick to detect movement and even as I was moving my hand around in the setup, they were following my hands.
The colony numbers:
Queen: 1
Workers: 5
Pupae: 1
Larvae: 2
Eggs: 4
Pictures are not great but here we go: