Golden Spiny Ant - Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) sp.
Subfamily Formicinae
This page contains pictures and information about Golden Spiny Ants that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 10mm
- Golden Spiny Ant is also known as Elegant spiny ant because of their Elegant appearance. Golden Spiny Ant is one of the more common of ants found in Brisbane bush. They are black in colour with golden gaster (ant abdomen), moderately large (10 mm in total length), and have spines or ridges on the mesosoma and spines on the top of the petiole.
- They have long antenna. The first upper plate of the gaster elongate and comprising more than one-half the total length of the gaster.
- The ants usually found searching individually on plants leaves and tree trunk. They are omnivorous and will collect nectar. They are very alert but not aggressive. If disturbed, they will usually retreat. They will fall onto the ground if they are on leaves or tree trunks..
- Golden Spiny Ants nest in open soil or in soil under rocks and logs. Along the Toohey Forest bush walking track, we noticed a lot of their colonies built under rocks.
- Above two pictures were taken when we opened a rock cover of a Golden Spiny Ant colony. The ants were protecting their eggs. The second photo show the winged caste of the species. They could be the male of female ready for the mating flight on the top layer of their nest.
- To minimize our disturbances, we carefully put back the rock after we quickly took a few photos.
- There are many species of Golden Spiny Ants ( Polyrhachis subgenus Hagiomyrma). They look similar. Ants shown in this page may belong to few different species.
- The ants are omnivorous and often found collect 'honey dew' from leafhopper and scale-insects.
- Reference and Link:
- 1. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p290.
- 2. Polyrhachis (spiny ants) - myrmecos.net, 2005.
