Golden-tailed Bull Ant vs Honey Pot Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Golden-tailed Bull Ant Honey Pot Ant
Scientific Name Myrmecia chrysogaster Myrmecocystus mexicanus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Formicidae
Size 15-22 mm 5-15 mm (repletes up to 25 mm swollen)
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Australia, Oceania North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Golden-tailed Bull Ant

A strikingly coloured bull ant with a distinctive golden-yellow gaster and reddish-brown head and thorax. Like other Myrmecia species, it possesses a powerful sting and excellent eyesight.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most ants, bull ant workers hunt individually rather than cooperatively, relying on their keen vision.

Honey Pot Ant

Certain workers called repletes serve as living food storage vessels. They hang from the ceiling, gorged with honey and nectar until their abdomens swell to the size of grapes.

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Did You Know?

Replete workers become living pantries — they hang motionless from the ceiling, swollen to the size of grapes, and regurgitate stored honey on demand to feed the colony.