Rhytidoponera aspersa
The beautiful Rhytidoponera aspersa. Bright, Victoria, Australia
Rhytidoponera carinata Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia
The greenheaded ant, Rhytidoponera metallica is capable of inflicting a very painful sting. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The green-headed ant Rhytidoponera metallica is a common soil-nesting ant in urban areas throughout Australia. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
A trio of Rhytidoponera metallica workers. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Portrait of an older Rhytidoponera metallica worker. This ant is missing some leg and antennal segments, perhaps a result of fights with neighboring ant nests. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
A Rhytidoponera worker carries a cocoon. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia
Rhytidoponera tasmaniensis
On a cold winter day, a Rhytidoponera forager slowly carries a fungus gnat she has caught back to her nest. Flying insects are easier prey for ants when immobilized at low temperatures. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.
Rhytidoponera sp. worker. Insects of this genus are among the most common ants on the Australian continent. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia
Rhytidoponera sp. worker ant. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia
Ants will not often consume dead ants of their own species, but they may readily take ant carcasses of other species. Here a Rhytidoponera worker has found the carcass of a large Camponotus and is dragging it back to her nest where it will be fed to hungry larvae. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia
Rhytidoponera ants cooperate to carry a dead caterpillar back to their nest. Wilson's Promontory National Park, Victoria, Australia
The beautiful Rhytidoponera purpurea is found in the rainforests of northern Australia and New Guinea. It is one of many species whose distribution spans both islands, suggesting a recent land connection across the Torres straight. Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
Rhytidoponera sp. Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia
RhytidoponeraEctatomminaeformicidaeworker antspony anthymenopteraantsinsectbugstwo antsnestmatescommunicationrain forest insectstropical ants
