Golden-tailed Bull Ant vs Iris Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Golden-tailed Bull Ant Iris Sawfly
Scientific Name Myrmecia chrysogaster Rhadinoceraea micans
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Tenthredinidae
Size 15-22 mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Heathland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions Australia, Oceania Europe
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.

Iris Sawfly

A small, metallic blue-black sawfly whose grayish larvae with dark heads feed along the edges of iris leaves, producing distinctive notching damage.

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Did You Know?

Larvae feed along leaf edges in a perfectly straight line, creating neat rectangular notches that are diagnostic for this species.