Iridomyrmex bicknelli

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

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.