Polyrhachis semiaurata

1 A golden spiny ant at Jerrabomberra, NSW

Request use of media

Identification history

	Polyrhachis semiaurata	25 Apr 2022	JonLewis
	Polyrhachis semiaurata	23 Apr 2022	SteveBorkowskis

Identify this sighting

Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

User's notes

Nesting in a hollow of a fallen log. Found some of the ants were carrying another live ant of the same species into the nest. One of the ants being carried seemed perfectly healthy when I separated it from the ant carrying it

2 comments

JonLewis wrote:

25 Apr 2022

Hi Steve, great photos, as usual. Some ants do a fair bit of carrying of their nestmates. If the ants are moving from one nest to another, for an ant who already knows where they are going, the most efficient way to get other ants to the new nest is to simply carry them straight to it as the ant being carried doesn't really need to know how to find their way back. In contrast, if one ant is trying to lead another to a food source, they do something called "tandem running", where the one who knows where they are going runs in front, laying a scent trail for the one behind and stopping frequently so the second ant can catch up. In this way the second ant actually learns where it is going and how to find its way home. Cheers, Jon

SteveBorkowskis wrote:

25 Apr 2022

Thanks for the explanation Jon, it seems so logical now you’ve put it in context. These are such a striking ant it’s hard to walk by without stopping to observe them.

Please Login or Register to comment.