Blue ant
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| Blue ant | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Thynnidae |
| Subfamily: | Diamminae |
| Genus: | Diamma |
| Species: | D. bicolor
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| Binomial name | |
| Diamma bicolor Westwood, 1835
| |
The blue ant (Diamma bicolor), also known as the blue-ant or bluebottle, despite its name and appearance, is not an ant, but rather a species of large, solitary, parasitic wasp sometimes known as a flower wasp. It is native to south and southeast Australia, including the states of Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is the sole member of the subfamily Diamminae and the genus Diamma, and is both morphologically and behaviorally unusual among members of the family Tiphiidae.
Blue ants have a distinctive metallic blue-green body, with red legs. The female ranges up to 25 mm (1 in) in length, is wingless and ground-dwelling, and exclusively hunts mole crickets, whereas all other species of tiphiids attack beetle larvae. The cricket is paralysed with venom injected by the female's stinger and an egg is laid upon it so the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. The male is smaller, about 15 mm (5⁄8 in), and has wings. Adults feed on nectar and pollinate various native Australian flowers.
The sting of the blue ant can cause a severe burning sensation and swelling in humans; in rare cases, it can cause a life-threatening reaction (such as anaphylaxis).
They are fast moving, ground dwelling and always burrow under leaves to escape. They do not show aggression unless provoked.
External links
- Blue-ant Fact File (from the Australian Museum)
- Flower wasps (from the Australian Museum)
- Common names (and image) (from CSIRO Entomology)