This article is about the ant Myrmecia pilosula. For other jack jumper ants, see list of insects known as jack jumper ant. For Jerdon's jumping ant, see Harpegnathos saltator.
Species of ant endemic to Australia
Jack jumper ant
Worker ant
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Formicidae
Subfamily:
Myrmeciinae
Genus:
Myrmecia
Species:
M. pilosula
Binomial name
Myrmecia pilosula
F. Smith, 1858
Occurrences of the jack jumper ant reported to the Atlas of Living Australia as of May 2015
Synonyms[1][2]
Halmamyrmecia pilosula Wheeler, 1922
Myrmecia ruginoda F. Smith, 1858
Ponera ruginoda F. Smith, 1858
Promyrmecia pilosula Clark, 1943
The jack jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula), also known as the jack jumper, jumping jack, hopper ant, or jumper ant, is a species of venomous ant native to Australia. Most frequently found in Tasmania and southeast mainland Australia, it is a member of the genus Myrmecia, subfamily Myrmeciinae, and was formally described and named by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858. This species is known for its ability to jump long distances. These ants are large; workers and males are about the same size: 12 to 14 mm (0.47 to 0.55 in) for workers, and 11 to 12 mm (0.43 to 0.47 in) for males. The queen measures roughly 14 to 16 mm (0.55 to 0.63 in) long and is similar in appearance to workers, whereas males are identifiable by their perceptibly smaller mandibles.
Jack jumper ants are primarily active during the day and live in open habitats, nesting in bushland, woodlands, and dry open forests, surrounded by gravel and sandy soil, which can be found in rural areas and are less common in urban areas. They prey on small insects and use their barbless stingers to kill other insects by injecting venom. Other ants and predatory invertebrates prey on the jack jumper ant. The average worker has a life expectancy of over one year. Workers are gamergates, allowing them to reproduce with drones, whether or not a queen is present in the colony. The ant is a part of the Myrmecia pilosula species complex; this ant and other members of the complex are known to have a single pair of chromosomes.
Their sting generally only causes a mild local reaction in humans; however, it is one of the few ant species that can be dangerous to humans, along with other ants in the genus Myrmecia. The ant venom is particularly immunogenic for an insect venom; the venom causes about 90% of Australian ant allergies. In endemic areas, up to 3% of the human population has developed an allergy to the venom and about half of these allergic people can suffer from anaphylactic reactions (increased heart rate, falling blood pressure, and other symptoms), which can lead to death on rare occasions. Between 1980 and 2000, four deaths were due to anaphylaxis from jack jumper stings, all of them in Tasmania. Individuals prone to severe allergic reactions caused by the ant's sting can be treated with allergen immunotherapy (desensitisation).
^Brown, William (1953). "Revisionary notes on the ant genus Myrmecia of Australia" (PDF). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 111 (6). Cambridge, Massachusetts: 1–35.
^Johnson, Norman F. (19 December 2007). "Myrmecia pilosula Smith". Hymenoptera Name Server version 1.5. Columbus, Ohio, USA: Ohio State University. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
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sting pain index. The sting of jackjumperants can be lethal for humans, and an antivenom has been developed for it. Fire ants, Solenopsis spp., are unique...
venomous of the bulldog ants, ranging from about 15 to 25 mm (0.6 to 1.0 in) long, but less aggressive than the Jackjumperant. These ants are purplish-brown...
Kelsall GR, Heddle RJ, Baldo BA (2001). "Fatal anaphylaxis following jackjumperant sting in southern Tasmania". Medical Journal of Australia. 175 (11):...
Australia. The Myrmecia browningi looks similar to any bull ant that is similar to the jackjumperant, excluding that its mandibles and legs are dark colours...
genus Myrmecia are commonly known as "bull ants". This species is similar in appearance to the jackjumperant. Their jaws and most of their body are coloured...
the Australian Capital Territory. Their exact appearance is of the jackjumperant. The colours features and size are strikingly similar to it as well...
states and regions of Australia. Their appearance is similar to the jackjumperant. Workers grow from a lot of sizes ranging from 9.5 to 15 millimetres...
Myrmecia erecta is a black colour. They are slightly similar to the Jackjumperant. "Myrmecia erecta (Ogata & Taylor, 1991)". Integrated Taxonomic Information...
Press. p. 242. Crosland MW, Crozier RH (March 1986). "Myrmecia pilosula, an Ant with Only One Pair of Chromosomes". Science. 231 (4743): 1278. Bibcode:1986Sci...
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species of bull ant which is endemic to Australia. Myrmecia croslandi is a jumping type of bull ant, which means it could be called a jackjumper. Myrmecia...
one of its hairy hind legs to attract the attention of a passing ant, the jackjumperant (Myrmecia pilosula) often being targeted. The prey may be bigger...
Myrmecia is a genus of small to large venomous ants commonly known as bulldog ants or jackjumperants. The genus was first established by Danish zoologist...
Rugby Union are the Tasmanian JackJumpers, named for the jackjumperant (Myrmecia pilosula), a species of venomous bull ant commonly found in Tasmania...
Myrmecia esuriens is closely related to M. pilosula, the venomous jackjumperant, the sting of which is known to be deadly to humans sensitive or allergic...
pollination plant for several insect species, including native bees and the jack-jumperant Myrmecia nigrocincta, which has been recorded several times visiting...
hierarchies where each individual has its place among paper wasps and JackJumperants and honey bees sneaking when they lay eggs). These critics also argue...
described by Ogata and Taylor in 1991. Their appearance is similar to jackjumperants, but more of a dark brownish colour with darker jaws and darker legs...
linear DNA chromosomes. The number of chromosomes varies widely from Jackjumperants and an asexual nemotode, which each have only one pair, to a fern species...
tuna, duck-billed platypus, eastern grey kangaroo, funnel web spider, jackjumperant, Australian giant cuttlefish 7 Australia 4 The final program from Australia...
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