Argentine Ant

Argentine Ant Facts

Size	0.08-0.2 in (2.1-4.9 mm)
Speed	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Lifespan	Unknown
Food	Insects, honeydew
Predators	Unknown
Distribution	South America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe
Habitat	Tropical and subtropical forests
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Ants
Subfamily	Dolichoderinae
Scientific name	Linephithema humile
Characteristics	Creates the largest ant colonies in the world

Main Characteristics

The Argentine ant is a medium-sized ant native to South America. It has become popular because it was spread unintentionally by humans all over the world. It is considered one of the 100 of the World's worst invasive alien species by the IUCN.

Argentine Ant Photo: Javier Chiavone/Shutterstock

Distribution

“... and tomorrow, the world!” could be their motto. The Argentine ant originally lived in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. They were unintentionally taken to other countries on ships and planes. In 1986 they established a colony in Europe for the first time.

Habitat

The Argentine ant prefers tropical and subtropical forests. However, it also feels at home in Europe, too. There, it inhabits oak and pine forests.

Diet

Argentine ants feed on "honeydew" (a sticky liquid secreted by lice), insects and carrion. They also eat other ants and then plunder their food supplies.

Life Style

The Largest Ant Colony in the World

The Argentine ant seems to like the mediterranean region, as they created the largest ant colony in the world there. It stretches from Southern Italy to the North-West of Spain - that’s a distance of 3,728 miles (6,000 km)! Researchers call it a “super colony”.

Argentine Ant Photo: Heather Broccard-Bell/Shutterstock

Introduced Species

When an animal species is introduced by humans into an area where it was previously not native, we call it a introduced species. This usually happens unintentionally through international trade. The animals are brought in as "stowaways". This isn't a problem at first, but ...

Invasive Species

Some of the introduced species throw nature out of balance. They reproduce quickly, displace native animal species or/and are the reason why pests multiply. In this case, they're called an invasive species. The word "invasive" comes from the Latin "invadere".

Behavior

Influence as an Invasive Species

The Argentine ant is often responsible for disturbing the balance in nature:

It displaces native animal species
It damages the plant world
It disrupts symbioses between animals and plants

An example is the horned lizard, which lives in California (USA). It feeds on native ants. However, since these are displaced by the Argentine ant, the horned lizard can no longer find food. Another example is arthropods. Some species are important pollinators for plants. The Argentine ant preys on these arthropods, which means that the plants can no longer be pollinated. The ant also nurtures lice, which harms agriculture.