Myrmecia nigriceps

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Myrmecia nigriceps
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmeciinae
Tribe: Myrmeciini
Genus: Myrmecia
Species group: gulosa
Species: M. nigriceps
Binomial name
Myrmecia nigriceps
Mayr, 1862

Myrmecia nigriceps casent0217498 p 1 high.jpg

Myrmecia nigriceps casent0217498 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

These ants are visual predators. Typical encounters with even a solitary forager shows that they are a formidable and aggressive species.

Identification

Myrmecia desertorum, Myrmecia fuscipes, Myrmecia gratiosa, Myrmecia nigriceps and Myrmecia vindex are all large to very large, reddish ants with red, brown or black heads and a black gaster.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -25.35° to -37.68333333°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a host for the eucharitid wasp Austeucharis sp. (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (multiple encounter modes; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).

Castes

Phylogeny

Myrmecia
gulosa group

Myrmecia esuriens

Myrmecia midas

Myrmecia pulchra

Myrmecia mjobergi

Myrmecia regularis

Myrmecia forficata

Myrmecia brevinoda

Myrmecia erecta

Myrmecia pyriformis

Myrmecia browningi

Myrmecia sp.

Myrmecia analis

Myrmecia minuscula

Myrmecia comata

Myrmecia rowlandi

Myrmecia flavicoma

Myrmecia tarsata

Myrmecia tridentata

Myrmecia eungellensis

Myrmecia fabricii

Myrmecia athertonensis

Myrmecia auriventris

Myrmecia borealis

Myrmecia gulosa

Myrmecia forceps

Myrmecia simillima

Myrmecia arnoldi

Myrmecia fulgida

Myrmecia pavida

Myrmecia vindex

Myrmecia fuscipes

Myrmecia (near nigriceps)

Myrmecia desertorum

Myrmecia nigriceps

Myrmecia nigriceps

Myrmecia inquilina

nigrocincta group

Myrmecia flammicollis

Myrmecia petiolata

Myrmecia nigrocincta

picta group

Myrmecia fucosa

Myrmecia picta

Myrmecia infima

Myrmecia urens

apicalis group

Myrmecia apicalis

pilosula group

Myrmecia testaceipes

Myrmecia acuta

Myrmecia chasei

Myrmecia clarki

Myrmecia dispar

Myrmecia occidentalis

Myrmecia tepperi

Myrmecia elegans

Myrmecia varians

Myrmecia banksi

Myrmecia croslandi

Myrmecia impaternata

Myrmecia haskinsorum

Myrmecia pilosula

Myrmecia pilosula

Myrmecia (near pilosula)

Based on Mera-Rodríguez et al. (2023).

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • nigriceps. Myrmecia nigriceps Mayr, 1862: 725 (in key), 728 (w.) AUSTRALIA (no state data).
    • Type-material: holotype (?) worker.
    • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
    • Type-locality: Australia (“New Holland”): (no further data).
    • Type-depository: NHMW.
    • Forel, 1910b: 3 (q.); Viehmeyer, 1914b: 28 (m.).
    • Subspecies of vindex: Forel, 1907h: 264; Forel, 1910b: 3; Emery, 1911d: 19; Forel, 1913g: 173; Viehmeyer, 1914b: 28; Clark, 1925b: 144.
    • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 23; Mayr, 1863: 430; Mayr, 1876: 95; Dalla Torre, 1893: 21; Kirby, W.F. 1896: 206; Wheeler, W.M. 1909a: 27; Wheeler, W.M. 1933i: 38; Clark, 1951: 64 (redescription); Taylor & Brown, 1985: 13; Taylor, 1987a: 44; Ogata, 1991a: 358; Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1638 (in key), 1659; Bolton, 1995b: 272; Heterick, 2009: 121.
    • Senior synonym of fasciata: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1659; Bolton, 1995b: 272.
    • Distribution: Australia.
  • fasciata. Myrmecia fasciata Clark, 1951: 63, fig. 40 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
    • Type-material: holotype worker, paratype workers (number not stated).
    • Type-localities: holotype + paratypes Australia: New South Wales, Pilliga (W.W. Froggatt), New South Wales, Barraba (W.W. Froggatt).
    • [Note: original description gives no indication which series contains the holotype, but Taylor & Brown, 1985: 9, cite Pilliga.]
    • Type-depository: ANIC.
    • Status as species: Taylor & Brown, 1985: 9; Taylor, 1987a: 43; Ogata, 1991a: 358.
    • Junior synonym of nigriceps: Ogata & Taylor, 1991: 1659; Bolton, 1995b: 271.

Type Material

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Forel A. 1913. Fourmis de Tasmanie et d'Australie récoltées par MM. Lae, Froggatt etc. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 49: 173-195
  • Ogata K. and Taylor R.W. 1991. Ants of the genus Myrmecia Fabricius: a preliminary review and key to the named species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae), Journal of Natural History, 25: 1623-1673
  • Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.
  • Taylor R. W., and D. R. Brown. 1985. Formicoidea. Zoological Catalogue of Australia 2: 1-149.