The 2014 Bright Bugs Series is the Royal Australian Mint's fifth animal series, following the popular Ocean, Land, Sea, and Polar series. The Bright Bugs series encompasses six, uncirculated coins, each depicting some of Australia's most interesting insects; the Blowfly, Ulysses Butterfly, Cuckoo Wasp, Stag Beetle, Grasshopper, and Red Bull Ant. The series was periodically released in pairs throughout the year in specially designed cards.
The giant red bull ant can be found throughout most of Eastern Australian. They are one of the largest ant species with the male growing as large as 30mm. They are also equipped with powerful jaws and a potent venom laced sting that can cause severe pain for multiple days.
Using a colour/pad printing process, the Mint perfectly captures the strong colours of this species. The reverse was created by first striking the coin with a very detailed relief then applying coloured ink to further enhance the design. The result is eye-catching with precise, vivid details and intense colour, paying artistic homage to this stunning species. The obverse features Ian Rank-Broadley's image of Queen Elizabeth II.