Blue Ant
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Tiphiidae Genus: Diamma Species: D. bicolor
Binomial name
Diamma bicolor (Turner, 1905)

The Blue Ant (Diamma bicolor, also known as the blue-ant) is, despite its name and its appearance, not an ant at all, but rather a species of large solitary parisitic wasp known as flower wasps. It is a native of south and southeast Australia, including the Australian states of Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera   (grasshoppers, crickets... Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Many families, see article Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Subfamilies Formicomorph subfamilies Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ... WASP (an acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) is a term that originally denoted the culture, customs, and heritage of the American élite Establishment. ... Australia, having a federal system of government, is divided into states and territories. ... Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Nickname: The Apple Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Governor Premier Const. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... Emperess Victoria of the United Kingdom etc. ... Motto: United for the Common Wealth Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Governor Premier Const. ...

Blue Ants have a distinctive metallic blue-green body, with red legs. The female ranges up to 25 mm in length, is wingless and ground-dwelling, and hunts other ground-dwelling and burrowing insects, such as mole crickets and beetle larvae. The prey is paralysed with the female's sting and an egg lain upon it so the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. The male is smaller, approximately 15 mm, and has wings. Adults feed on nectar, and pollinate various native Australian flowers. A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Genera Gryllotalpa Neocurtilla Scapteriscus Mole crickets are a family (Gryllotalpidae) of crickets with mole-like forelegs. ... Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga many subgroups: see Subgroups of the order Coleoptera Beetles (order Coleoptera) are one of the main groups of insects. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Sting can mean: In biology a sting is the part of a number of animals, such as wasps, bees and scorpions, that delivers a poison when used to pierce the skin of another animal. ... The word wing or wings has more than one use: In aeronautics a wing is an apparatus used to create lift. ... In Greek mythology, nectar and ambrosia are the food of the gods. ... Pollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). ...

The sting can cause a severe burning sensation and swelling; in rare cases, it can cause a severe reaction (such as anaphylaxis) and be life-threatening. Anaphylaxis is a severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to a trigger substance, called an allergen. ...

Blue Ant female

Blue Ant female

External links

• Blue-ant Fact File (http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=227) (from the Australian Museum)
• Flower wasps (http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/flower_wasps.htm#ant) (from the Australian Museum)
• Insect identification and advice (http://www.ento.csiro.au/insect_id/wasps/blue_ant.html) (from CSIRO Entomology)
• Common names (and image) (http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_c/a_481.htm) (from CSIRO Entomology)