General Description

Typically body black with contrasting dull rusty/orange coloured head. Body thin, legs long and narrow. Large species with body of worker up to 6 mm long.

Biology

Red-headed Spider Ants forage singly or in small groups on the ground and build nests in soil or dead wood, often at the base of trees. Colony sizes average a few hundred workers and a single queen.The name Red-headed Spider Ants comes from their habit of extending their legs, raising their abdomens and running quickly to escape danger when distrutbed.

Distribution

Coastal New South Wales and Victoria. Does not occur much west of Melbourne.

Habitat

Urban areas, forests, woodlands and heath.

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