| Myrmecia midas | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmeciinae |
| Genus: | Myrmecia |
| Species: | M. midas |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmecia midas Clark, 1951 [1] | |
Myrmecia midas is an Australian ant which belongs to the genus Myrmecia . This species is native to Australia. Myrmecia midas is distributed mainly along the coastlines of several eastern Australian states. It was first described by John S. Clark in 1951. [2]
Myrmecia is a genus of ants first established by Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. The genus is a member of the subfamily Myrmeciinae of the family Formicidae. Myrmecia is a large genus of ants, comprising at least 93 species that are found throughout Australia and its coastal islands, while a single species is only known from New Caledonia. One species has been introduced out of its natural distribution and was found in New Zealand in 1940, but the ant was last seen in 1981. These ants are commonly known as "bull ants", "bulldog ants" or "jack jumper" ants, and are also associated with many other common names. They are characterised by their extreme aggressiveness, ferocity, and painful stings. Some species are known for the jumping behaviour they exhibit when agitated.
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
John S. Clark was a Scottish-born Australian entomologist and myrmecologist known for his study of Australian ants. Born in Glasgow, he developed an interest in entomology at a young age. Clark first arrived in Australia in 1905 and originally worked for the state railways in Queensland. He developed an interest in ants shortly afterwards, collecting his first specimens in North Queensland. He married his first wife, Maggie Forbes in 1908, bearing four children, until her death in 1935. He married his second wife, Phyllis Marjorie Claringbulls in 1939 and had two daughters with her until she committed suicide in 1943. As a result, Clark sent his daughters to an orphanage.
Workers are typically 13-15 millimetres long, with the queens bigger at 18-19 millimetres and the males smaller. The head and thorax are red, the gaster black, and the mandibles, antennae, and the legs are brownish red. [3]
