Titan Pony Ant
Front & midd leg spines
Ellura
Titan Pony Ant
Petiole Front
 
                      
Titan Pony Ant (Rhytidoponera mayri)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Pony Ant (Ant: Formicidae Ectatomminae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Titan Pony Ant (Rhytidoponera mayri)
This Photo:     Antennal Scrobe

Thank you Kate Sandiford, Grant Wang & Clara Dandridge for confirming the id of this species for us

EXTRA - Photo Specific Information:
This is the intent on the head that allows the antennae scape (base) to retract in.
General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
The worker caste is ~13mm long.
The shape of the top of their heads is diagnostic, almost with ears pointing up, as is the petiole. The bottom of the front "shoulders" have small spurs. Under the head is concave, terminating in sharp edges to the rear of the "cheeks". They have a very scaloped exoskeleton.
They have thick spines on the front legs, which are well hidden.
These are quite abundant on Ellura, and in other semi-arid evironments.
Apparantly they have long term permenant nests, so will focus on a local nest during the remaining 2 moths (Mar & Jul) expecting that they don't close their nest at all.

Copyright © 2020-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 16-Jan-2020
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.