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Species & care sheets

Giant Spiny Ant

Polyrhachis armata · มดหนามกระทิงดำ

DifficultyModerateHow often it is foundพบได้ทั่วไปDefencesDefensive

A large, elegant spiny ant that weaves silk nests like a weaver ant, but with a calm, deliberate temperament — a solid intermediate choice for spiny ant fans.

อยู่ในสกุลย่อย Polyrhachis (Myrma)

Overview

Temperature

24–28°C

Humidity

60–80%

Diet

Sugar · Insects

Nest type

Arboreal / Wood / Acrylic / Ytong

Growth

Medium

Colony size

300–1,500 ตัว

Difficulty — เป็นมดต้นไม้ที่ต้องการความชื้นและการระบายอากาศที่สมดุล หากรังชื้นเกินไปอาจเกิดเชื้อราได้ง่าย
Colony size — ประเมินจากการเลี้ยงในระบบปิด รังธรรมชาติอาจมีขนาดใหญ่กว่านี้เล็กน้อย
How often it is found — มดที่มีข้อมูลบันทึกพบมากที่สุดในกลุ่ม เจอได้บ่อยตามธรรมชาติ — มีบันทึกยืนยันพบในไทยโดยตรงด้วย; เคยมีวางขายในร้านนักเลี้ยงมดต่างประเทศ (แต่ปัจจุบันหมด/ไม่พร้อมส่ง) · Records in Thailand 223 · Records worldwide 1,797 · Hobbyist market: Was sold, now out of stock

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

11-13 mm

Worker

8-10 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
~9 mm

Queen
~12 mm

Calibrate card width324 px

Behaviour & care

Defences

Defensive

Bites or stings when disturbed — mind the nest when opening it.

Bites

Sprays formic acid

Colony profile

Queens

Single queen (monogyne)

Founding

Claustral

Diapause

Not required

Growth

Medium

In depth

หนามแหลมโค้งบนลำตัวช่วยป้องกันไม่ให้สัตว์นักล่า เช่น นก หรือกิ้งก่า กลืนพวกมันลงคอได้ง่าย

Appearance

Polyrhachis armata features a jet-black exoskeleton highlighted by prominent, sharp spines on its mesosoma and petiole. These structures serve as formidable natural armor against predators.

Where it lives

Native to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They inhabit tropical rainforests, nesting arboreally inside hollow branches, wood crevices, or woven leaf structures.

Found in

Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand)

Behaviour

An arboreal species that forages along branches and foliage individually or in small groups. They are generally defensive rather than aggressive, using their sharp jaws, acid, and spines when threatened.

Keeping it

Best kept in well-ventilated arboreal setups, wooden, acrylic, or Ytong nests. Maintain temperatures at 24-28°C and humidity at 60-80%. Provide sugars for energy and feeder insects for protein.

Nest type

ArborealWoodAcrylicYtong

Where the difficulty is

Balancing high humidity with adequate ventilation can be tricky; stagnant, overly damp nests can lead to fungal growth. Colony founding requires high stability and minimal disturbance.

Fun fact

The species name "armata" is derived from Latin, meaning "armed" or "armored," referring directly to its sharp body spines.

Gallery

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

Sources

AntWiki: Polyrhachis armata

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.