Camponotus novaehollandiae

Image of Camponotus novaehollandiae

(Sugar Ant)

SUBFAMILY	Formicinae
Species	Camponotus novaehollandiae
Common name	Sugar Ant
Main colour	Black
Size	About 12 mm long
Campus	Cairns, Townsville

Description

The genus Camponotus is one of the largest genera of ants, with hundreds of Australian species. The ants come in two sizes, minor and major workers. The workers scavenge and also attend scale insects and aphids. This species can often be seen in daylight, but many others emerge mostly at night. These ants lack stings and squirt formic acid on enemies; in larger species than this the mandibles can cause a noticeable bite and even break the skin. Figured is a major worker seen in Cape York, photo courtesy of Alex Wild, http://www.myrmecos.net/ants/