Bigheaded Ant from Singapore

bugman

August 21st, 2010 at 7:52 am

Categories

Mega-ant from Singapore
Location: Singapore
August 21, 2010 5:51 am
Hi bugman
I was fascinated by this ant species since i was young. It is about 1cm long. Any idea what species it is?
Jerome

Bigheaded Ant from Singapore

Hi Jerome,
At the start of our search for information, we discovered a species called the Bigheaded Ant, Pheidole megacephala, which has an unusual caste system. There are worker ants in two sizes, the minor workers and the more rare major workers that are larger with larger heads. We found information on the Pest Ants of Florida page, and we learned that this African species has become a major introduced pest in many parts of the world, including Florida. BugGuide has a photo of the Major Worker that looks very similar to your photograph. The Florida Featured Creatures website has a very extensive profile on the Bigheaded Ant. We have a follow-up question. In our research, it seems the size difference between the minor and major Bigheaded Ant workers is not as extreme as what is indicated in your photograph. In your sightings over the years, have you always seen the larger ants and smaller ants together?

thanks for the ID! The larger ants only come out when there is food to take back to the nest