bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) Description Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775)
English: 22 mm long Bullet ant near La Selva Biological Station (OTS), Costa Rica.
Date 26 July 2009
Photographer Hans Hillewaert
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paraponera_clavata.jpg
Paraponera clavata is a species of ant, commonly known as the bullet ant, named for its potent sting. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests from Nicaragua and the extreme east of Honduras and south to Paraguay. The pain caused by bullet ants's sting is reported to be greater than that of any other hymenopteran, and is equal to being shot, hence the name of the insect. Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Formicidae, Subfamily: Paraponerinae, Species: Paraponera clavata (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms:
Paraponera aculeata (Olivier, 1792)
Paraponera tarsalis (Perty, 1833)