One synonym for the species has been published – Ponera ruginoda (also titled Myrmecia ruginoda),[13] described by Smith in the same work, and a male holotype specimen was originally described for this synonym.[2][14] Ponera 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.[1][17] The ant is a part of the Myrmecia pilosula species complex, a species group that was first defined by Italian entomologist Carlo Emery.[16] The species complex is a monophyletic group, where the species are closely related to each other but their actual genetic relationship is distant.[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. varians.[22] Additional species that were described in this group in 2015 include M. banksi, M. haskinsorum, M. imaii and M. impaternata.[23]