Explore Ant Species

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.

Fire Ox Spiny Ant

Polyrhachis bicolor

A two-toned spiny ant from Borneo, dark body contrasting with reddish-brown legs and antennae. An easy-going spiny ant well-suited for beginners.

Monster Head Carpenter Ant

Camponotus auriventris

Nicknamed the "Monster Head" carpenter ant abroad for its oversized soldier heads, which defend the nest with striking efficiency.

Silky Carpenter Ant

Camponotus sericeus

Unlike most carpenter ants, this species forages in broad daylight. Its body is covered in shimmering golden hair, and it thrives in dry, semi-arid habitats across Africa and Asia.

Yellow Jumping Trap-Jaw Ant

Odontomachus rixosus

A yellow-orange trap-jaw ant known for its long snapping mandibles and its ability to jump up to 20 cm to escape danger. A specialized termite hunter beloved by ant keepers.

Big-headed Ant

Pheidole megacephala

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.

Mountain Trap-Jaw Ant

Odontomachus monticola

A matte-black trap-jaw ant from Asia's mountains with one of the fastest strikes in the animal kingdom, used both to hunt and to catapult itself away from danger. For expert keepers only.

Mexican Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex gracilis

A slender, wasp-like twig ant from Mexico and tropical America, orange and black with sharp eyesight and a talent for escaping. Best suited for experienced keepers.

Giant Forest Ant

Dinomyrmex gigas

Thailand's largest ant, with soldiers nearly 3 cm long, was only recently confirmed living in a Songkhla forest. A master-level species that needs serious space and humidity.

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 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.

Bicolored 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.

Ghost Ant

Tapinoma melanocephalum

A tiny, translucent ant so pale it looks almost ghostly, moving fast and adapting to nearly any environment. A popular beginner choice for keeping a small indoor ant colony.

Cocoa Black Ant

Dolichoderus thoracicus

Known to cocoa farmers as a natural pest-control partner, the Cocoa Black Ant is a moderately easy species that grows its colony quickly when cared for well.

Chestnut Shield Ant

Meranoplus castaneus

A small greyish-brown shield ant that lives high in the rainforest canopy. Found across Southeast Asia including Thailand, calm and non-aggressive.

California Harvester Ant

Pogonomyrmex californicus

A reddish-orange seed harvester from the American deserts with a beard of hairs under its head for carrying seeds. Delivers a very painful sting and fiercely defends its territory.

Fish Hook Spiny Ant

Polyrhachis bihamata

A spiny ant with a pair of curved, fish-hook-like spines on its thorax. Glossy black, found in Southeast Asian rainforest. Best suited for keepers with prior tropical ant experience.

Guinea 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.

Pharaoh Ant

Monomorium pharaonis

A tiny yellow-brown ant with a highly complex multi-queen society, expanding colonies remarkably fast through budding. Found in homes across the tropics worldwide.

Tooth Ant

Odontoponera transversa

Hairy-legged Carpenter Ant

Camponotus rufifemur

A Javan carpenter ant with reddish-brown legs contrasting against a dark body. Nocturnal and calm-tempered, it's a popular pick in the ant-keeping market for its striking coloration.

Hairy Wood Carpenter Ant

Camponotus vagus

The European hairy wood ant is entirely jet-black, densely covered in long yellowish-white hairs. Found across Europe into Central Asia, it's known for its feisty temperament and mandatory annual winter hibernation.

Black Inflated Acrobat Ant

Crematogaster difformis

A tiny black acrobat ant with a highly specialized lifestyle — it nests exclusively inside epiphytic ferns. Found across Southeast Asia including Thailand.