ABSTRACT
The ant Paraponera clavata is widely distributed in South America. The workers of this species are approximately 2.5 cm long and the queens are even larger. Ranging from dark brown to black, they possess a well-developed sting. This species, commonly found in rainy forests, is known to natives as “cumanagota,” “la veinticuatro,” “yolofa” or “yolosa” in Venezuela; “mumuri” (Weber, 1937) in Guiana; “tucandeira” (Weber, 1937) in Brazil and “hormiga bala” in Costa Rica (Weber, 1937). Despite its “ferocious” reputation, P. clavata’s aggressivity is determined by food availability (Hermann and Blum, 1966; Bequaert, 1926). Although the ants live in groups of over a hundred individuals, they are usually found as solitary individuals and sting people who step on them with bare feet or light shoes. Human envenomation also occurs when ants fall from branches brushed against while walking in the forest. The powerful sting can even pierce heavy khaki cloth.
