Most frequently found in Tasmania and southeast mainland Australia, it is a member of the genus Myrmecia, subfamily Myrmeciinae, and was formally described and named by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858.

The queen measures roughly 14 to 16 mm (0.55 to 0.63 in) long and is similar in appearance to workers, whereas males are identifiable by their perceptibly smaller mandibles.

In endemic areas, up to 3% of the human population has developed an allergy to the venom and about half of these allergic people can suffer from anaphylactic reactions (increased heart rate, falling blood pressure, and other symptoms), which can lead to death on rare occasions.

Individuals prone to severe allergic reactions caused by the ant's sting can be treated with allergen immunotherapy (desensitisation).

[8] In 1922, American entomologist William Morton Wheeler established the subgenus Halmamyrmecia characterised by its jumping behaviour, of which the jack jumper ant was designated as the type species.

[8][11] William Brown synonymised Promyrmecia due to the lack of morphological evidence that would make it distinct from Myrmecia and later placed the jack jumper ant in the genus in 1953.

[7][14] P. ruginoda was initially placed into the genera Ectatomma and Rhytidoponera,[15][16] but it was later classified as a junior synonym of the jack jumper ant, after specimens of each were compared.

[18][19][20][21] Members of this group include M. apicalis, M. chasei, M. chrysogaster, M. croslandi, M. cydista, M. dispar, M. elegans, M. harderi, M. ludlowi, M. michaelseni, M. occidentalis M. queenslandica, M. rugosa, and M.

[23] Their characteristic jumping motion when agitated or foraging inspires the common name "jack jumper", a behaviour also shared with other Myrmecia ants, such as M.

[34] The ants can be found in the south-western tip of Western Australia,[35] where it has been seen in the sand hills around Albany, Mundaring, Denmark and Esperance.

[27] However, populations have been collected from the suburb of Elsternwick,[36] and they are commonly found in the Great Otway Ranges, with many nests observed around Gellibrand.

[39] Jack jumper ants live in open habitats, such as damp areas, forests, pastures, gardens, and lawns, preferring fine gravel and sandy soil.

[26][40][41] Their nests are mounds built from finely granular gravel, soil, and pebbles, measuring 20 to 60 cm (8 to 24 in) in diameter and can be as tall as 0.5 m (20 in) in height.

In suburban areas, this ant is found in native vegetation, and uses rockeries, cracks in concrete walls, dry soil, and grass to build nests.

[27] William Morton Wheeler compared jack jumper ants to "Lilliputian cavalry galloping to battle" when disturbed, due to their jumping behaviour.

[58] Although pollinia are often seen in the ants' jaws, they have a habit of cleaning their mandibles on the leaves and stems of nectar-rich plants before moving on, preventing pollen exchange.

[61] Jack jumper ants are skilled hunters, partially due to their excellent vision; they can even kill and devour wasps and bees.

[4] Jack jumper ants, alongside M. simillima, have been given frozen houseflies (Musca domestica) and blowflies (Calliphoridae) as food under testing conditions.

[65] Mature adult ants of this species mostly eat sweet substances, so dead insects they find are given to their larvae.

[69] Predatory invertebrates such as assassin bugs and redback spiders prey on jack jumpers and other Myrmecia ants.

[109] Paul Clarke first drew medical attention to the jack jumper ant in 1986, and before this, there had been no history of records of allergic reactions or study on their sting venom.

[29] In 2005, over a quarter of all jack jumper sting incidents were sustained in Tasmania; excessive in comparison to its 2006 population of only 476,000 people.

[123] The ant has also been a major cause of anaphylaxis outside Tasmania, notably around Adelaide and the outskirts of Melbourne, while cases in New South Wales and Western Australia have been more distributed.

[136] 20 percent of jack jumper ants have an empty venom sac, so failure to display a sting reaction should not be interpreted as a loss of sensitivity.

This includes difficulty breathing and talking, the tongue and throat will swell up, and coughing, chest tightness, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting may occur.

The young tips of a bracken fern provide a useful bush remedy to treat jack jumper stings, discovered and currently used by indigenous Australians.

[112] The Royal Hobart Hospital offers a desensitisation program for patients who have had a severe allergic reaction to a jack jumper sting.

This sort of immunotherapy is designed to change how the immune system reacts to increased doses of venom entering the body.

[156] Follow-ups of untreated people over thirty with a history of severe allergic reactions would greatly benefit from venom immunotherapy.

Closed footwear (boots and shoes) along with socks reduce the chances of encountering a sting, but wearing thongs or sandals will put the person at risk.