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Species & care sheets

Big-headed Ant

Pheidole megacephala · มดหัวโต

DifficultyModerateHow often it is foundพบได้ทั่วไปDefencesAggressive

Named for its soldiers' oversized heads, the Big-headed Ant grows fast and is hard to contain — a moderate-difficulty species that should never be released outside its range.

Overview

Temperature

24–28°C

Humidity

60–80%

Diet

Sugar · Insects

Nest type

Acrylic / Ytong / Soil / 3D printed

Growth

Fast

Colony size

500–3,000 ตัว

Difficulty — ขยายพันธุ์รวดเร็วและหลุดรอดได้ง่าย ต้องมีระบบป้องกันมดหลุดที่รัดกุม
Colony size — ในธรรมชาติหรือรังปิดขนาดใหญ่สามารถสร้างซูเปอร์โคโลนีที่มีประชากรหลายร้อยแสนตัวได้
How often it is found — มดที่มีข้อมูลบันทึกพบมากที่สุดในกลุ่ม เจอได้บ่อยตามธรรมชาติ — มีวางขายในตลาดนักเลี้ยงมดต่างประเทศ (มีสต๊อกจริง) · Records in Thailand 2 · Records worldwide 13,000 · Hobbyist market: Sold abroad

Derived from record counts in global databases (GBIF · AntWeb · iNaturalist), not from how common the ant is in Thailand. — น่าเชื่อถือสูง — มีบันทึกพิกัด/ตัวอย่างในไทยจริง (GBIF/AntWeb)

What it eats

SugarsProteinSeedsFungus

Care sheet in progressData confidence: สูง

Size

Body length by caste, and the ants drawn to scale on a credit card

Queen

6.0-7.5 mm

Major

3.5-4.5 mm

Worker

2.0-2.5 mm

Actual size against a credit card

Ants are drawn to scale on a standard card (85.6 × 54 mm) — hold a real card against the screen and move the slider until the card matches, and the ants are then life-size.

ANTVERSE

Scale card · 85.6 × 54 mm

Worker
~2.3 mm

Major
~4 mm

Queen
~6.8 mm

Calibrate card width324 px

Behaviour & care

Defences

Aggressive

Attacks when disturbed — handle with care.

Bites

Colony profile

Queens

Several queens (polygyne)

Founding

Claustral

Diapause

Not required

Growth

Fast

In depth

มดง่ามหัวโตแอฟริกาจัดเป็น 1 ใน 100 สายพันธุ์สิ่งมีชีวิตรุกรานที่น่ากลัวที่สุดในโลก สามารถรวมรังกันเป็นซูเปอร์โคโลนีและทำลายล้างชีวหลากหลายท้องถิ่นได้อย่างรุนแรง

Appearance

Displays striking worker dimorphism: minor workers measure 2.0-2.5 mm, while major workers (soldiers) reach 3.5-4.5 mm with massive heads and powerful mandibles built for crushing tough food items.

Where it lives

Native to the Afrotropical realm, but now established worldwide across tropical and subtropical regions as a destructive invasive species. They nest in soil, under stones, or inside decaying wood.

Found in

Afrotropical (Native), Worldwide (Invasive in tropical and subtropical regions)

Behaviour

Highly aggressive with an extremely rapid growth rate. They are polygynous (multiple queens per colony) and capable of inbreeding within the nest, allowing colonies to expand rapidly.

Keeping it

Relatively easy to care for due to their adaptability. They accept both sugar waters and protein sources like feeder insects. Maintain temperatures between 24-28°C and humidity around 60-80%. Suitable for acrylic, Ytong, or 3D-printed setups.

Nest type

AcrylicYtongSoil3D printed

Where the difficulty is

The population explodes quickly, requiring frequent space upgrades. Minor workers are exceptionally small and adept escape artists, necessitating strict barrier maintenance (Fluon/Talcum).

Fun fact

The specific epithet "megacephala" derives from Greek, meaning "huge head," accurately describing the oversized heads of the major workers.

Gallery

Live photographs are by iNaturalist observers under CC BY-NC — every one carries its credit.

Sources

The Thai text is written from the facts in these sources, not copied from them. · Data confidence: สูง

This page is husbandry information only — live ants aren't sold on the site, for the animals' safety in transit.