Australian Stink Ant vs Yellow Ophion

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian Stink Ant Yellow Ophion
Scientific Name Iridomyrmex bicknelli Ophion obscuratus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Ichneumonidae
Size 3-5 mm 14-18 mm
Habitat Woodlands Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Australia, Oceania Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Australian Stink Ant

A small, fast-moving ant that releases a strong, unpleasant odour when crushed, giving it its common name. It forms large colonies and is one of the most common ants in Australian suburban environments.

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Did You Know?

Iridomyrmex ants dominate Australian ant communities and are among the most ecologically successful ants in the Southern Hemisphere.

Yellow Ophion

A laterally flattened, tawny-yellow parasitoid wasp active at dusk and after dark. Its larvae develop as internal parasitoids of noctuid moth caterpillars.

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Did You Know?

Its laterally compressed abdomen is thought to help it slip between grass blades when searching for host caterpillars.