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Thought I would start an ant thread, my posts might get edited from time to time.


I noticed this interesting behaviour last night out walking. These ants tuck their gaster in under their body and stay fixed in position for a while. Good time to snap a photo. Keyed it out to Polyrhachis spp. using Australian Ants: their biology and identification. Then a search online confirmed.

According to the Queensland Museum site: "Spiny ants cannot sting but spray formic acid from a small circular hole (the acidopore) at the tip of the gaster." I wonder if that is a clue to this behaviour.

From my own observation the behaviour seemed independent of myself and I thought it perhaps a laying down of scent for they were more happy to escape back into their nest with my interruptions. They were nesting in the end of where a branch had broken away from the tree. I will have to take another look soon.

Also hints at behaviour here and here with Alex Wild's site also helping.


Spiny Ant Exif data


Spiny Ant Exif data



Canon EOS 40D with MP-E 65mm 1-5x Macro and diffused Twin Lite MT-24EX