📸 PhotoPhoto: Public domain · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Red imported fire ant
Solenopsis invicta (Red imported fire ant · ヒアリ)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 The maximum worker length of 6 mm is less than 1/4 the diameter of a Korean 500-won coin (26.5 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 In introduced regions, it damages crops, injures livestock and farm workers, and its sting can sometimes be fatal, causing harm to agriculture, tourism, and land management (ADW).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The red imported fire ant is a fire ant that causes severe damage in areas where it has been introduced by humans. It is not recorded in the National List of Species of Korea.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It is generally brownish-red. Workers vary in size: newly emerged small workers are about 2 mm, fully grown large workers reach up to 6 mm, and queens measure 3–7 mm. Males are dark in color.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It forages during the day when surface soil temperatures are 27–42 °C, locating food by scent with its antennae and returning to the nest along pheromone trails. When food is large or sweet, it recruits nestmates, and during reproduction winged individuals make a nuptial flight.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • catalogueoflife.org — 6Z4TF
- • wikidata.org — Q1194382
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Fire ants02.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Solenopsis invicta
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Richard J. Harris · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.