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Yellow Crazy Ant
Anoplolepis gracilipes
12.0054, 79.8111
Field Notes
Description:
It is a relatively large, yellow to orange colored ant with long legs, large eyes and extremely long antennal scapes (zooming my photos although barely but this can bee seen, antennas are pretty long). Named so for its fast, haphazard movements. They have rather long legs and antenna and is an invasive species commonly found across the world. They are about 6.5-7mm in length. Nests are located in cool moist places such as under leaf litter or in the base of trees. They are known as scavenging predators and have a very broad diet. These ants have mutualistic associations with honey-dew producing insects. They yellow crazy ants are also indicators of human activity.
Notes:
Considered by the IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) to be among the 100 worst invasive species in the world, A. gracilipes is widespread across the tropics, and populations are especially dense in the Pacific region. The species is most infamous for causing the "ecological meltdown" of Christmas Island (O'Dowd et al. 2003). Although widespread across the Pacific, Anoplolepis gracilipes can cause significant damage to native biological diversity, and strong quarantine measures are encouraged to keep it from spreading to new localities.
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