Bullet Ant vs Macromeris Spider Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bullet Ant Macromeris Spider Wasp
Scientific Name Paraponera clavata Entypus unifasciatus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Pompilidae
Size 18-30 mm 15-30 mm
Habitat Forests Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions Central America, South America North America, South America
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.

Macromeris Spider Wasp

A large dark spider wasp with a single white or yellow band on the abdomen. It hunts large wolf spiders and trapdoor spiders across the Americas.

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Did You Know?

Its single bright abdominal band makes it one of the most easily identified spider wasps in the field.