Ants in Hawaiʻi

Anoplolepis gracilipes

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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Known as the Yellow Crazy Ant because of its color and erratic behavior when disturbed. This species has been listed as one of the world’s top 100 invasive species.
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant queen and worker
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  A queen and workers in a colony of Yellow Crazy Ants.
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  After a Yellow Crazy Ant nest is disturbed, workers grasp the mandibles of a queen to move her to safety.
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant workers working cooperatively to bring back an isopod back to the nest.
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant workers working cooperatively to bring back an isopod back to the nest.
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  Anoplolepis gracilipes

  Yellow Crazy Ant workers haul a amphipod carcass back to the nest.

Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior

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  Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior

  Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior is a minute, non-descript, brown ant species occuring in natural open areas, and also in roadsides and lawns.
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  Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior

  Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior queen and workers.
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  Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior

  Brachymyrmex sp. nr. obscurior

Camponotus variegatus

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  Camponotus variegatus

  The Carpenter Ant is the largest species of ant in Hawai`i and is primarily noctural in habit.
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  Camponotus variegatus

  Carpenter Ants are a common household pest. Although it is called a Carpenter Ant, it does little to no damage to wooden structures. Instead, it will establish nests in rotting wood, voids hollowed out by termites, wall voids, and hollow doors.
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  Camponotus variegatus

  A Carpenter Ant worker carries another worker in its mandibles. This action is reffered to as "social carrying behavior" and commonly occurs when moving to a different nest site.

Cardiocondyla emeryi

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  Cardiocondyla emeryi

  Originally from Africa, Cardiocondyla emeryi have been broadly dispersed by human commerce throughtout the tropics and subtropics.
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  Cardiocondyla emeryi

  Cardiocondyla emeryi are a small and inconspicuous species.
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  Cardiocondyla emeryi

  Cardiocondyla emeryi

Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi/venustula

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  Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi/venustula

  Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi and Cardiocondyla venustula must be seperated via discriminant analysis of morphological features to reliably tell them apart. As a result, the two species have been grouped.
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  Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi/venustula

  Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi and Cardiocondyla venustula are small and inconspicuous ants with short propodeal spines.

Cardiocondyla minutior

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  Cardiocondyla minutior

  The thorax of Cardiocondyla minutior is relatively smooth without a notch between the mesonotum and metanotum.
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  Cardiocondyla minutior

  Cardiocondyla minutior is a pantropical tramp species.
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  Cardiocondyla minutior

  Cardiocondyla minutior winged reproductive and worker.

Hypoponera opacior

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  Hypoponera opacior

  Hypoponera opacior are frequently found nesting in rotting wood, under stones, or in leaf litter.
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  Hypoponera opacior

  Hypoponera opacior are highly variable in color ranging from orange to dark brown and black.
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  Hypoponera opacior

  Hypoponera opacior

Lepisiota sp. Hi01

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  Lepisiota sp. Hi01

  The genus Lepisiota is recognizable by the pair of teeth on the propodium.
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  Lepisiota sp. Hi01

  Lepisiota sp. Hi01
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  Lepisiota sp. Hi01

  Working together, Lepisiota workers haul a Carperter Ant carcass back to their nest.

Leptogenys falcigera

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  Leptogenys falcigera

  Leptogenys falcigera are large, black ants distinctive for their long, slender mandibles.
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  Leptogenys falcigera

  Occurring mainly in lowland elevation, Leptogenys falcigera are often found in leaf litter foraging for live isopdods.
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  Leptogenys falcigera

  Leptogenys falcigera live in smaller colonies with less than 60 individuals, nesting in rotten logs, live stems, and twigs.

Linepithema humile

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  Linepithema humile

  Ranked among the world's 100 worst animal invaders, Argentine Ants can cause significant ecological and economic damage.
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  Linepithema humile

  Argentine Ants first became established on Oahu in 1940 and have spread throughout the Hawaiian Islands preferring the cooler climates of higher elevations.
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  Linepithema humile

  In their introduced range, Argentine Ants maintain expansive supercolonies where queens and workers move freely between nests.

Monomorium floricola

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  Monomorium floricola

  The head and gaster of the Bicolored Trailing Ant is uniformly colored, both distinctly darker than the thorax.
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  Monomorium floricola

  Bicolored Trailing Ant is a widely distributed tramp ant typically found in tropical and subtropical regions.
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  Monomorium floricola

  Bicolored Trailing Ant

Monomorium pharaonis

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  Monomorium pharaonis

  Carried by commerce and trade, Pharaoh Ants have been introduced to virtually every inhabited part of the world. Although they are a tropical species, they also thrive in temperate regions persisting in heated buildings as a major domestic pest.
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  Monomorium pharaonis

  Easily confused with Monomorium sahlbergi, Monomorium pharaonis instead have 2/3 of the first gaster yellow versus 1/4 (or less) of the gaster in P. sahlbergi.

Monomorium sahlbergi

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  Monomorium sahlbergi

  Monomorium sahlbergi is a tramp species with a worldwide distribution.
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  Monomorium sahlbergi

  Monomorium sahlbergi
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  Monomorium sahlbergi

  Easily confused with Monomorium pharaonis, Monomorium sahlbergi instead have 1/4 (or less) of the first gaster yellow versus 2/3 of the gaster in P. pharaonis.

Ochetellus glaber

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  Ochetellus glaber

  The Black Household Ant is native to Australia.
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  Ochetellus glaber

  A Black Household Ant at the nest entrance in the stump of a macadamia nut tree.
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  Ochetellus glaber

  Black Household Ant

Paratrechina longicornis

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  Paratrechina longicornis

  This species is commonly known as the Longhorn Crazy Ant or Black Crazy Ant because of the way that the workers dart around erratically in apparently random directions. With its long legs and antennae, it is easy to distinguish them from other ant species.
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  Paratrechina longicornis

  Longhorned Crazy Ants tending to scale insects for honeydew.
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  Paratrechina longicornis

  Longhorned Crazy Ants cooperating to bring a centipede carcass back to the nest.

Pheidole fervens

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  Pheidole fervens

  Pheidole fervens
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  Pheidole fervens

  Pheidole fervens is a widespread invasive species with minor and major workers.
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  Pheidole fervens

  Pheidole fervens can be easily confused with Pheidole megacephala. Morphologically the minor workers are best seperated by the lack of ventral bulge on the post petiole and the presence of sculpturing between the antenna and eyes versus the presence of a ventral bulge on the post petiole and lack of sculpturing between the antenna and eyes in P. megacephala.

Pheidole megacephala

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  Pheidole megacephala

  The Big-headed Ant is considered one of the world’s worst invasive ant species found in many subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world.
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  Pheidole megacephala

  Big-headed Ants workers come in two different sizes: minors are small with normal sized heads, while majors are much larger with disproportionately larger heads.
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  Pheidole megacephala

  The Big-headed Ant was first recorded in Hawai`i as early as 1879, at which time it was already well established.

Pheidole navigans

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  Pheidole navigans

  Like all other Pheidole species, Navigating Big-headed Ants have distinct major and minor workers. Majors having disproportionately large heads compared with minors.
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  Pheidole navigans

  Navigating Big-headed Ant major worker.
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  Pheidole navigans

  Navigating Big-headed Ant minor worker.

Plagiolepis alluaudi

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  Plagiolepis alluaudi

  Native to Madagascar, the Little Yellow Ant has spread to many parts of the world through human commerce.
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  Plagiolepis alluaudi

  Because of its size and color, the Little Yellow Ant is commonly mistaken for the Little Fire Ant but differes from the Little Fire Ant in lacking a 2-segmented propodeum, 2-segmented antenna, and long propdeal spines.
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  Plagiolepis alluaudi

  Little Yellow Ant

Pseudomyrmex gracilis

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  Pseudomyrmex gracilis

  The Slender Twig Ant is large wasp-like ant ranging in size from 7 to 12 mm long with large eyes.
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  Pseudomyrmex gracilis

  The bright orange and black coloration of the Slender Twig Ant might act as a warning to predators of its powerful sting.
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  Pseudomyrmex gracilis

  Slender Twig Ant

Solenopsis geminata

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  Solenopsis geminata

  Tropical Fire Ants get their name from their ability to inflict painful stings. Common in urban areas, this species was well established in Hawaiʻi by the 1870s.
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  Solenopsis geminata

  Topical Fire Ants feeding on a stem of an amaranth plant. This species is omniverous and will chew on roots, stems, buds, and fruits of various crops, and girdle young plants.
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  Solenopsis geminata

  Tropical Fire Ants girdling the stem of an amaranth plant.

Solenopsis globularia

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  Solenopsis globularia

  Solenopsis globularia are a New World thief ant with polymorphic workers..
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  Solenopsis globularia

  Solenopsis globularia workers are distinguished by their enlarged post-petiole.
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  Solenopsis globularia

  Solenopsis globularia

Strumigenys rogeri

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  Strumigenys rogeri

  Strumigenys rogeri are a small, inconspicuous ant with long and slender mandibles. Cryptic in habit, this species moves slowly in the leaf litter predating on collembola and other tiny soil arthropods.
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  Strumigenys rogeri

  Strumigenys rogeri have a distinctive notch just anterior of the eyes.
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  Strumigenys rogeri

Tapinoma melanocephalum

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  Tapinoma melanocephalum

  Ghost Ants are a common household pest in Hawaiʻi. Distincintly bicoloured, Ghost Ants are easily recognized by their dark brown head and thorax and pale legs and abdomen.
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  Tapinoma melanocephalum

  Ghost Ants tending to brood in the nest.
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  Tapinoma melanocephalum

  Ghost Ant

Technomyrmex albipes

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  Technomyrmex albipes

  The White-footed Ant is a small, black ant with white legs and is largely arboreal.
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  Technomyrmex albipes

  White-footed Ant exiting a False Eranthemum flower.
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  Technomyrmex albipes

  White-footed Ant

Tetramorium bicarinatum

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  Tetramorium bicarinatum

  Tramp Ant is recognized as one of the world's most broadly distributed ant species.
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  Tetramorium bicarinatum

  Tramp Ant
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  Tetramorium bicarinatum

  Tramp Ant

Tetramorium caldarium

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  Tetramorium caldarium

  Tetramorium caldarium is a small reddish ant that can be mistaken for the Little Fire Ant, but can be distinguished by the three-segemented antennal club in Tetramorium caldarium compared to the two-segmented club in the Little Fire Ant.
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  Tetramorium caldarium

  Tetramorium caldarium

Trichomyrmex destructor

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  Trichomyrmex destructor

  Commonly known as either the Singapore Ant or Destructive Trailing Ant. This pest species is notorious for chewing on structures, vehicles, and electrical equipment casuing extensive economic damage.
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  Trichomyrmex destructor

  Singapore Ant
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  Trichomyrmex destructor

  Singapore Ant workers come in a large range of sizes.

Wasmannia auropunctata

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  Wasmannia auropunctata

  Two Little Fire Ants meeting on a trail. Ants use special chemical signals called pheromones and touch to communicate with one another.
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  Wasmannia auropunctata

  Little Fire Ant queen and her workers.
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  Wasmannia auropunctata

  Little Fire Ants