Green-head Ant - Rhytidoponera metallica
Subfamily Ponerinae
- This page contains pictures and information about Green-head Ants that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 7mm
- Green-head Ants are also known as Metallic Pony Ants. Their workers are usually seen foraging on the ground or low vegetations. The are common in Brisbane backyards and gardens. They may give the painful stings against intruders.
Green-head Ants are black in colour, with metallic purple-green colour on head and body when watch closely under the sun.
- They are scavengers as well as predators. I saw them hiding near the nests of other smaller ants species and attack them. Those ants active from morning to evening. They like sugar and will attend the scale insect and planthoppers for their "honey dew".
- Green-head Ants build their nest in soil openly or under rocks. They are not aggressive and have weak stink. However, I have a painful sting experience for I had put my bare foot over their nest.
- From time to time, those ants may aggregate at some high points near their nest. Watch carefully you may find some ants with wings wandering around. The winged ants were those female and male, ready to have the so called "mating flight". They will fly to some meeting points, meet with the winged ants from other nests and mate. Female ants will them look for a suitable location to establish a new nest and build a new colony.
- A closer look to the winged ants, they are about the same size as the worker ants. They look exactly the same excepted winged.
- As most other ants, the adults feed on liquid sugar as their daily energy source. They look for rich protein foods to feed their young.
- Reference and Link:
- 1. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p286.
- 2. Rhytidoponera metallica - Green-head ant - myrmecos.net, 2005.
- 3. Green-head Ant Fact File - Wild life of Sydney, Australian Museum 2005.
