Iridomyrmex bicknelli, also known as the black trail ant, is a species of ant belonging to the genus Iridomyrmex. The species is distributed in every single state and territory in Australia. Iridomyrmex bicknelli was described by Emery in 1898.
Subspecies Iridomyrmex bicknelli formosae Forel, 1912 Iridomyrmex bicknelli luteus Forel, 1915
Description
Size Queen: 7mm- 10mm in length
Worker- 2- 5mm in length.
Behaviour Workers are not aggressive, and do not have a stinger or spray formic acid. In the wild, queens are known to be polygynous with very high worker numbers. However, in a formicarium colonies are mainly monogynous with an average of 10,000 workers per colony. Queens are fully claustral, meaning they do not have nest entrances during the founding stage of a colony. They also do not require feeding during this time, as they live on fat reserves from their own body.
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