Rainforest ants of the Eungella region in Central Queensland Coast, Australia

In the recently published article “Rainforest ants along an elevational gradient at Eungella in the Clarke Range, Central Queensland Coast, Australia”, the authors C.J. Burwell and A. Nakamura provide an overview of the rainforest ant fauna. They collected ants from 34 sites comprising an elevational gradient from 200 to 1200 meters above sea level between 2013 and 2014. They recorded 142 ant species, and species richness peaked at 600 m with 89 species. Here, Chris Burwell shares some images of some ant species.

A Photoblog contribution by Chris J. Burwell

All images are © Queensland Museum

Myrmecia eungellensis, one of two species of large bull ants thought to be endemic to the higher elevations of the Clarke Range.

Orectognathus paravispinus, a small trap-jaw ant that has only been collected in the Eungella region.

Podomyrma basalis is a tropical species from northern Australia and New Guinea, that occurs in the lowlands at Eungella. It is an arboreal species nesting in hollow twigs and branches.

Workers of Colobostruma leae have specialised flattened faces that are probably used to plug the entrance holes to their nests at Eungella this species was collected only from sites at 1000 m above sea level.