Nature has a strange way of rewarding effort. After almost completing a formicarium to house Australia's largest ant.

I have stumbled across a queen from the smallest of Myrmecia.

Myrmecia chrysogaster.

This ant is as close to a wasp without wings as your going to get.

It's fast, agile and highly alert. It's vision is astounding.

By the time I got home she had already laid an egg in the jar. She must've been desperate to find somewhere to nest soon.

I had it stuck to a wet toothpick and carefully removed the cork stopper from the tube when the queen was up the far end. (Obviously   )

It had fallen onto the carpet!!

Might have to start carving a new formicarium for smaller ants.

 

Edited by CrazyLegs, January 19 2017 - 8:23 PM.

nice colouring! i want one, when i grow up I'm gonna move to australia!!!!

It's a nice place, Hot though.

i went there once got stung by the jack jumper when i attempted to dig a nest with my hands      .

i got scratched by a koala and fed a croc nachos

Hahaha, you'll fit right in.

i mined for some opal, went off looking for sydney funnel webs in sydney before i realised they were venomous, attempted to grab a blue-ring octopus, made a snake mad, dived in the great barrier reef and speared a spiky starfish and told my brother to eat crocodile poop 

he actually ate the poop, according to him the "candy" was too crumbly and salty and that he did not like it  rofl

are you sure that it's not Myrmecia Fulvipes? :-)

what about Myrmecia piliventris

Thanks Alabama Anter. She's gonna be tough to raise, she gets so easily disturbed.

She attempts to sting anything that comes into the tube, even a pin with a drop of maple syrup was attacked before being hurriedly consumed.

I open the cork just a crack and she drop kicks her egg and comes running.  

I thought it may have been a fulvipes at first but they have long slender black mandibles with the teeth concentrated at the tip.

This girl has brown mandibles with the teeth more spread along the shaft.

I think piliventris have black legs and the same longer black mandibles.

I may be wrong but I did look at those two species before concluding she was a chrysogaster.

Why are there so many similar.

Edited by CrazyLegs, January 20 2017 - 1:16 PM.

Thanks Alabama Anter. She's gonna be tough to raise, she gets so easily disturbed.

She attempts to sting anything that comes into the tube, even a pin with a drop of maple syrup was attacked before being hurriedly consumed.

I open the cork just a crack and she drop kicks her egg and comes running.

I thought it may have been a fulvipes at first but they have long slender black mandibles with the teeth concentrated at the tip.

This girl has brown mandibles with the teeth more spread along the shaft.

I think piliventris have black legs and the same longer black mandibles.

I may be wrong but I did look at those two species before concluding she was a chrysogaster.

Why are there so many similar.

Don't forget to feed her, as she is semi-clausteral. 

Though you probably knew that

Do you think I should feed her protein before she has larvae?

She is eating the syrup no problem.

Here she is doing the electric boogaloo

Edited by CrazyLegs, January 20 2017 - 8:27 PM.

I just want to say how much I love your posts since you have been here. They are very informative with interesting content. Super cool species by the way.

Thanks T.C. I'm glad to share my experiences.

I enjoy getting to see all the ants from abroad that I don't get the chance to see here too.

We have a symbiotic relationship going on here.

I think feeding protein should be perfectly fine. I must say, I agree  with TC

dance ant dance

Thanks Canadian anter, she is now chowing down on a termite queen dinner.

She ate its brains out.

Tasty.