Jumbuck Sugar Ant
Comparison of Major & Minor
Ellura
Jumbuck Sugar Ant
Major Worker, dorsal
 
                      
Jumbuck Sugar Ant (Camponotus ephippium ssp ephippium)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Modern Ant (Ant: Formicidae Formicinae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Jumbuck Sugar Ant (Camponotus ephippium ssp ephippium)
This Photo:     Major Worker, Petiole & Back

Thank you Peter Slingsby for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
1st Live Photo on-line:
The shape of the back, face and the petiole are diagnostic. This is a minor worker and is ~9mm long. There are no pictures of this species anywhere on the net, so it's taken years to finally find out what it is; using this excellent, ameteur friendly key from the SA museum
We just found a major worker for the first time and are pleased to be able to show a comparision shot, as well as diagnostics for the major worker cast of this species
It was ~13mm long. The minor worker is surprisingly hairy in comparision.

Copyright © 2019-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 08-Oct-2019
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.