Myrmecia gulosa

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Biology
Colonies consist of 992± 551 workers, mean ± SD (Dietemann et al. 2002).

Castes
Worker size varies over a wide range (14 – 23 mm), exhibiting a bimodal distribution. M. gulosa is monogynous and queens are only slightly bigger than large workers, but have many more ovarioles (44 compared to 8–14 in workers; Dietemann et al. 2002). There is no trophallaxis but workers lay trophic eggs, which constitute the main channel of food exchange in the colony. Queens are not aggressive toward workers and regulation of worker reproduction is based on Cuticular Hydrocarbons (Dietemann et al. 2005).

Nomenclature

 *  gulosa. Formica gulosa Fabricius, 1775: 395 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Smith, 1858b: 143 (m.); Mayr, 1876: 95 (q.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971d: 246 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 345 (k.). Combination in Myrmecia: Fabricius, 1804: 424. Senior synonym of obscurior: Clark, 1951: 49. See also: Ogata, 1991a: 358.
 * obscurior. Myrmecia gulosa var. obscurior Forel, 1922: 87 (w.) AUSTRALIA. Junior synonym of gulosa: Clark, 1951: 49.