Myrmecia (ant) encountered before. Based on five species, the median lethal dose (LD) is 0.18–0.35 mg/kg, making it among the most toxic venoms in the insect world. The toxicity of the venom may have evolved due to the intense predation by animals and birds during the day, since "Myrmecia" is primarily diurnal. In Tasmania, 2–3% of the human population is allergic to "M. pilosula" venom. In comparison, only 1.6% people are allergic to the venom of the western honeybee ("Apis mellifera"), and 0.6% to the venom of the European wasp ("Vespula germanica"). In a 2011 Australian ant-venom allergy study, the objective of
Thanasimus formicarius "Picea" for oviposition. Some experiments suggested that bark thickness could be a critical factor limiting pupation of "T. formicarius" on spruce. Possible mimicry: The shape of the body and coloration of ant beetles resemble those of velvet ants from the genera "Mutilla" that can be seen on the same places with ant beetles. Velvet ants are famous for their painful stinging. Thanasimus formicarius The ant beetle ("Thanasimus formicarius"), also known as the European red-bellied clerid, is a medium size insect, rather soft-bodied, with strong mandibles that can tear between the hard sclerotized integument of bark beetles. Larvae and adults are