Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Formicidae Scientific name Solenopsis xyloni | Phylum Arthropoda Order Hymenoptera Subfamily Myrmicinae Rank Species | |
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Similar Black imported fire ant, Solenopsis geminata, Solenopsis molesta, Pogonomyrmex, Pogonomyrmex californicus | ||
Southern fire ants work together to haul corn chip
The southern fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni), also known as the Californian fire ant or cotton ant, is a stinging fire ant native to southern parts of the United States. Its behaviour is similar to the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), although its sting is less painful. It has a broad and opportunistic diet, and will store seeds in its nest and eat honeydew collected from other insects.
The Southern fire ant shares its range with the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), the golden fire ant (S. aurea) and S. amblychila. The Southern fire ant has the widest distribution of these, occurring from the Carolinas to California, including Georgia, lowland Tennessee, Arkansas, and southern Kansas.
References
Southern fire ant Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA