🐜 Paraponera clavata – The Bullet Ant
Paraponera clavata, commonly known as the bullet ant, is a species of ant renowned for its extremely painful sting. Native to the humid lowland rainforests of Central and South America, it inhabits countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The bullet ant is often found in lowland areas, from sea level up to 750 meters in elevation, with some specimens collected at elevations of 1,500 meters in La Amistad International Park.
📏 Description
Worker ants measure between 18 to 30 mm in length and resemble stout, reddish-black wingless wasps. The species does not display polymorphism in the worker caste; the queen ant is not much larger than the workers. Bullet ants are not aggressive but will fiercely defend their nests, producing a stridulating sound and delivering powerful stings.
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Bullet ants are distributed throughout Central and South America, commonly found in the wet Neotropical realm. Colonies, consisting of several hundred individuals, are typically situated at the bases of trees. Workers forage arboreally for small arthropods and nectar in the area directly above the nest, often reaching the upper canopy. Nectar is the most common food taken back to the nest by foragers.
🧬 Sting & Venom
The bullet ant’s sting is considered one of the most painful insect stings, rated at the highest level (4+) on the Schmidt sting pain index. The pain is described as “waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours.” The venom contains poneratoxin, a paralyzing neurotoxic peptide that affects voltage-dependent sodium ion channels and blocks synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. Research is ongoing into its potential medical applications.
🧪 Etymology & Cultural Significance
The specific epithet “clavata” means “club-shaped,” and the genus name “Paraponera” translates to “near-Ponera.” Due to its fearsome reputation, the bullet ant has several local names. In Venezuela, it’s called “hormiga veinticuatro” (the “24 ant”) referring to the full day of pain following a sting. In Brazil, names include “formiga cabo verde,” “formigão,” or “formigão-preto” (big black ant). Indigenous names like “tocandira” derive from the Tupi-Guarani language, meaning “the one wounding deeply.” In Costa Rica, it’s known as “bala,” meaning “bullet.”
📚 Learn More
For a comprehensive overview of Paraponera clavata, visit the Wikipedia article.