Bullet Ant
Paraponera clavata Fabricius, 1775
The most painful sting
The sting is considered the most painful insect sting on the Schmidt Pain Index, rating 4.0+. The searing, throbbing ache can last for hours, and feels like being shot with a bullet.
Small colonies
Unlike the huge colonies of leaf-cutter or fire ants, a mature Bullet Ant colony is relatively small, from a few hundred to about 2,000 workers, often nesting at the base of large trees.
Sateré-Mawé initiation ritual
In the Tucandeira rite of the Sateré-Mawé people of the Brazilian Amazon, boys wear gloves woven with stinging bullet ants, and go through the rite many times over.
Field notes
| Range | Nicaragua south to Paraguay |
|---|---|
| Lifespan | Workers months; queen 5+ years |
| Size | Workers 18 to 30 mm |
| Weight | Over 0.5 g for a large worker |
| Colour | Dark reddish-brown to black |
| Diet | Nectar, small arthropods, sap |
| Family | Ants (Formicidae) |
In the book
The Bullet Ant is number 27 of the 101 creatures in Glowing Bugs. Its two pages show it from three sides, at its true size, with a map of where it lives. The plate is an artistic interpretation and does not show the true colours of the living animal.
