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Saevissima-group Fire Ants
Solenopsis saevissima
Solenopsis saevissima, commonly known in Brazil as formiga-de-fogo 'fire ant', formiga-vermelha 'red ant', or formiga-lava-pés (lit. 'maundy ant'), is one of more than 185 species in the genus Solenopsis. It, along with 13 other species, is also a member of the Solenopsis saevissima species group which are popularly known as fire ants.
Although it is indigenous to South America, it has been apparently imported to Africa, Guadalupe and the Galápagos Islands. To date there is no evidence of it in the United States. S. saevissima is known for its powerful and painful sting, hence the name "fire ant". It is a pest in horticulture and one proposed method of control is to introduce the scuttle fly phorid into its habitat.
15 branches of this group, most-observed first
Red Imported Fire Ant
speciesSolenopsis invicta
Hybrid Imported Fire Ant
hybridSolenopsis invicta × richteri
Black Imported Fire Ant
speciesSolenopsis richteri
Solenopsis saevissima
speciesSolenopsis saevissima
Solenopsis weyrauchi
speciesSolenopsis weyrauchi
Solenopsis megergates
speciesSolenopsis megergates
Solenopsis electra
speciesSolenopsis electra
Solenopsis daguerrei
speciesSolenopsis daguerrei
Solenopsis macdonaghi
speciesSolenopsis macdonaghi
Solenopsis metallica
speciesSolenopsis metallica
Solenopsis hostilis
speciesSolenopsis hostilis
Solenopsis interrupta
speciesSolenopsis interrupta
Solenopsis pythia
speciesSolenopsis pythia
Solenopsis quinquecuspis
speciesSolenopsis quinquecuspis
Solenopsis pusillignis
speciesSolenopsis pusillignis
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Solenopsis saevissima in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 1373022.