Species & care sheets
Explore Ant Species
Discover and explore ant species from the Antverse — by name, genus, habit or how hard they are to keep.
Popular searches:CamponotusPolyrhachisMeranoplusCrematogaster
Quick browse
PopularGuinea Ant
Tetramorium bicarinatum
One of the easiest ants to keep: a small reddish-brown ant that grows fast, is very hardy, and lives in multi-queen colonies. A top pick for anyone keeping ants for the first time.
PopularBlack Harvester Ant
Messor barbarus
Often called the 'perfect pet ant,' this seed-harvesting species from Europe and North Africa is tough, low-maintenance, and shows off a striking range of worker sizes in one colony.
PopularAsh-Red Carpenter Ant
Camponotus rufoglaucus
A slender carpenter ant dusted in ash-grey hairs, the Ash-Red Carpenter Ant is easy to keep and grows fast, making it a great pick for anyone starting out with Camponotus.
PopularBlack Tyrant Ant
Iridomyrmex anceps
A small, fast-moving black ant that builds colonies quickly, the Black Tyrant Ant is easy to keep but demands an escape-proof setup for its unusually agile workers.
PopularBicolored Shield Ant
Meranoplus bicolor
The Bicolored Shield Ant (Meranoplus bicolor), or "มดโล่บ้าน" in Thai, is instantly recognizable for the hard, shield-like plate covering its entire thorax like a suit of armor. A shy, slow-moving, docile species found across much of Asia, it's an easy-care ant for beginners that tolerates a wide diet and simple captive setups.
Black Garden Ant
Lasius niger
One of the most common ants in the world and the classic starter species for new ant keepers. Extremely hardy and tolerant of imperfect conditions.
Black Crazy Ant
Paratrechina longicornis
Small, long-legged, and always on the move, the Black Crazy Ant is one of the easiest species anyone can keep — a perfect first colony for total beginners.
Smooth-bellied Shield Ant
Meranoplus laeviventris
A small shield ant with a black head and gaster and a reddish-brown thorax. Found across Southeast Asia in semi-dry to wet forests. Moderate difficulty to keep.
Southern Shield Ant
Meranoplus mucronatus
A shield ant with a black head and gaster contrasting a red-brown thorax. Moves slowly, relying on chemical defenses. Easy to keep, well suited to planted tropical setups.
Red Ox Spiny Ant
Polyrhachis abdominalis
A spiny ant from Borneo's rainforests with a shiny, gold-tinted black body and sharp thoracic spines. Easy to keep, no sting, great for spiny-ant beginners.
Acrobat Ant
Crematogaster coriaria
Famous for flipping its heart-shaped gaster overhead like an acrobat when startled, this species is beginner-to-intermediate friendly and grows quickly — a great pick for a first arboreal ant.
Steppe Harvester Ant
Messor structor
A seed-harvesting ant from the European steppes with big-headed major workers that grind grain. Famous for making 'ant bread' from chewed seeds and saliva.
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This page is husbandry information only — live ants aren't sold on the site, for the animals' safety in transit.