Orange Spider Wasp vs Lesser Bullet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Orange Spider Wasp Lesser Bullet Ant
Scientific Name Cryptocheilus australis Neoponera villosa
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pompilidae Formicidae
Size 20-30 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Indoors Woodlands
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions Australia, Oceania Southern United States, Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Orange Spider Wasp

A striking orange and black spider wasp that hunts large ground-dwelling spiders across Australia. Its vivid colouration serves as a warning to predators of its powerful sting.

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Did You Know?

Female spider wasps engage in elaborate prey-handling behaviours, sometimes caching spiders temporarily while they dig the final burrow.

Lesser Bullet Ant

A large black ponerine ant found from Texas through South America with a powerful sting. It nests in tree hollows and dead wood, foraging arboreally at night.

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Did You Know?

It is sometimes called the 'false bullet ant' because its sting, while very painful, is less severe than that of Paraponera.