meat ant
noun
: any of several ants of the genus Iridomyrmex that are found mainly in Australia, typically feed as scavengers, and often form large colonies protected by aggressive workers
especially
: a reddish-purple ant (I. purpureus synonym I. detectus) common throughout Australia and forming large nest mounds which are often topped with gravel
Meat ants are Australia's most prolific ants, sometimes building super-nests that extend more than 650m. The 1cm-long workers also have powerful jaws and bite rather than sting. —
Peter Morley, Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Australia), 6 Apr. 2003
Peter Morley, Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Australia), 6 Apr. 2003 Dictionary Entries Near meat ant
Cite this Entry
“Meat ant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meat%20ant. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share