Antkey

ID guide | introduced ants

Pachycondyla chinensis

Pachycondyla chinensis is a robust medium sized, dark colored species with long relatively long mandibles. It recruits in high numbers and is capable of dominating food resources. They tend to nest in dead wood in shaded areas.


Notice the recruiting behavior where one worker carries a nestmate to the bait and drops her. A Camponotus species arrives late and clears out the needle ants. The debris seen around the bait was deposited by workers. Various ants use this strategy, perhaps to hide the food resource from competitors.


Notice the winged males and how the workers carry brood tucked beneath their bodies as they run.


Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith