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Polyrhachis ammon

Golden-spined Ant, Golden Ant at Paddys River, ACT

Polyrhachis ammon at Paddys River, ACT - 15 Dec 2018
Polyrhachis ammon at Paddys River, ACT - 15 Dec 2018
Polyrhachis ammon at Paddys River, ACT - 15 Dec 2018
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Identification history

Polyrhachis ammon 29 Jan 2019 JonLewis
Unidentified 8 Jan 2019 SWishart

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User's notes

The black banding on the gold tail has me stumped

1 comment

JonLewis wrote:
   30 Jan 2019
Hi SWhishart, nice photos again. The black bands on the tail (gaster) are visible because it is swollen by the ant having had a large meal, probably of honeydew. The gaster is made up of several sections which can be expanded to allow the ant to consume a lot and take the excess back to the colony, where it passes it on to the other ants. This movement of food from ant to ant is called trophallaxis. Take a look at the Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophallaxis Cheers, Jon

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Sighting information

  • 1 - 3 Abundance
  • 15 Dec 2018 03:56 PM Recorded on
  • SWishart Recorded by

Additional information

  • 12mm to 25mm Animal size

Species information

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