Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp vs Bullet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp Bullet Ant
Scientific Name Chrysis fulgida Paraponera clavata
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysididae Formicidae
Size 7-12 mm 18-30 mm
Habitat Underground Forests
Diet Parasites Nectar Feeders
Regions Central Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp

A dazzling metallic wasp with a bright green head and thorax and a golden-red abdomen. It is a brood parasite of potter wasps and mason wasps.

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Did You Know?

Its armoured exoskeleton is so tough that host wasps cannot sting through it.

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.