Workers are commonly about 15–20 mm.
Fine-art photographic collection
Myrmecia forficata
A large bull ant that hunts by sight and defends its nest with a potent sting.
About this species
Inchman ant
Myrmecia forficata(Fabricius, 1787)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Myrmecia forficata is a visually oriented bull ant of south-eastern Australia. Workers forage individually and use large mandibles and a functional sting to capture prey and defend the colony.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Myrmecia
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
South-eastern AustraliaBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
South-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.
Open forest, woodland, heath and grassland.
Mostly diurnal, with visual foraging strongest under good light.
Live arthropods, carrion, nectar and other sugary liquids.
Ground nests are relatively small compared with mass-recruiting ants and workers usually forage alone.
What makes this species remarkable?
Large eyes allow workers to recognise landmarks around the nest.
The sting is used both in prey capture and defence.
Workers rely more on individual vision than on dense pheromone trails.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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