Myrmecia forceps

Myrmecia forceps
Myrmecia forceps worker
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmeciinae
Genus:	Myrmecia
Species:	M. forceps
Binomial name
Myrmecia forceps Roger, 1861

Myrmecia forceps is an Australian ant in the genus Myrmecia . This species is native to Australia and commonly distributed in most of the southern regions of Australia. They were described by Roger in 1861. ^[1]

Characteristics

M. forceps is a moderately big bull ant at 19-24 mm long. Queens are the biggest at 25 mm, while the males are smaller. Their heads and thoraces are brown, femora are in a lighter brown colour, mandibles, antennae, and several other features can be yellow or reddish yellow. ^{[2] [3]}

Evolution

Myrmecia forceps is known to mimic dominant local species, resulting in regional colour variation. On Kangaroo Island, Myrmecia forceps mimics the colouration and patterning of M. rufinodis, a ubiquitous species in the region. This is likely an instance of Müllerian mimicry. ^[3]

Myrmecia forceps worker

References

1. "Myrmecia forceps Roger, 1861". Atlas of Living Australia . Govt of Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
2. Clark, John (1951). The Formicidae of Australia (Volume 1) (PDF). Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia. pp. 24–25.
3. Brown, William (1953). Revisionary notes on the ant genus Myrmecia of Australia (PDF). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. p. 7.