Meranoplus unicolor. An Australian harvester ant carries a seed back to her nest. Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia

Meranoplus sp. shield ant. Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia

A Meranoplus shield ant carries a bit of soil from a nest excavation. Peebinga Conservation Park, South Australia

A nocturnal Meranoplus shield ant forages on a Eucalyptus trunk. Poochera, South Australia

Meranoplus shield ants working at the nest entrance. Peebinga Conservation Park, South Australia

Meranoplus sp. shield ants. Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia

Meranoplus sp.

Portrait of a Meranoplus worker ant. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia

Portrait of a Meranoplus worker showing the distinctive thoracic shield that characterizes this genus. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia

A disorderly pile of dirt marks the entrance of a small Meranoplus ant nest. Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia