Meat ants Iridomyrmex inhabit the barren deserts of Australia, green gardens and busy cities, feeding on anything (from garbage from landfills and bird droppings to carrion and small rodents). In fact, for this reason they are called meat ants: if they find a dead animal, they will clean it of meat very quickly
“Iridomyrmex” literally means “rainbow ant”. In the sun, the skins of many species of this genus shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. One of the most beautiful iridomyrmexes is Iridomyrmex lividus, which has a blue tint.
Unfortunately, such beauties have not yet reached us. But there are their relatives – Iridomyrmex anceps! Although they are not bright, they are definitely “meaty”: large families are capable of creating a real meat grinder in the arena, destroying forage crops!
