About Myrmecia gulosa (Fabricius, 1775)
Myrmecia gulosa is one of the larger ant species. Adult body length ranges from 15 mm to 30 mm. The head and thorax are typically red-brown, the rear half of the abdomen is black, and the mandibles are brown-yellow. Adults characteristically have long, powerful serrated mandibles and a venom-injecting sting that can cause severe pain lasting a couple of days. Unlike most other ant species, red bull ants do not have functional chemical senses, but this is compensated for by their extremely sharp vision. Their vision allows them to spot and respond to intruders from up to two metres away. Myrmecia gulosa is abundant in eastern Australia. It occurs in the coastal regions of Queensland and eastern New South Wales, with populations also present in the Australian Capital Territory and the Murray-Darling Basin. Colonies have been recorded at Black Mountain, Brisbane, Fletcher, Stanthorpe, and St. George in Queensland; in New South Wales, recorded locations include Lismore, Armidale, Narrabri, Clarence River, Taree, and Sydney (specifically the suburbs of Como, Oatley, and Liverpool). Verified populations of this ant are also confirmed to exist in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, with a new specimen documented in Victoria in 2024. Based on collected specimens, M. gulosa lives at elevations ranging from 121 to 2,000 m (400 to 6,600 ft). M. gulosa generally builds small mounds, prefers open areas where it forages frequently, and foraging worker ants are often found near burnt areas.
