Bullet Ant vs Golden Pergid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bullet Ant Golden Pergid Sawfly
Scientific Name Paraponera clavata Perga gravenhorstii
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Pergidae
Size 18-30 mm 14-22 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions Central America, South America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bullet Ant

Named for its extremely painful sting, rated 4+ on the Schmidt Pain Index. Indigenous Satere-Mawe people use them in warrior initiation rites. The pain can last 24 hours.

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Did You Know?

The bullet ants sting is the most painful of any insect — described as waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that lasts up to 24 hours without any relief.

Golden Pergid Sawfly

A large Australian sawfly with distinctive golden-orange coloring and dark wing venation. Larvae are gregarious spitfires on eucalyptus.

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Did You Know?

Female Perga sawflies show an unusual degree of parental care, standing guard over their egg masses for days to protect them from parasitoids.