honey-ant

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

n.


name given to various species of Ants,in which the body of certain individuals becomes enormouslydistended by sweet food with which they are fed by the workerants, for whom this store of honey serves as a food supply.When the side of the distended abdomen is tapped, the antpasses the `honey' out of its mouth, and it is then eaten.Three species are known in Australia, Camponotusinflatus, Lubbock; C. cowlei, Froggatt; and C.midas, Froggatt. The aboriginal name of the first is`Yarumpa.'

1896. W. W. Froggatt, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,'pt. ii. p. 386:

«Our Australian honey ants belong to the genus Camponotus,members of which are found to all parts of the world, and areknown as `sugar-ants,' from their fondness for all kinds ofsweets.»

Related Words