Judy Gallagher, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Longhorn Crazy Ant

Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802)

Introduced by people

Names

English	Longhorn Crazy Ant
Dutch	Superlangsprietmier
Spanish	Hormiga africana loca de antenas largas
Chinese	长角立毛蚁
Sranan Tongo	mira (general name for the group)
Scientific name	Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802)

About this species

The longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis), also known as the black crazy ant, is a species of small Formicine ant. These ants are commonly called "crazy ants" because instead of following straight lines, they dash around erratically. They have a broad distribution, including much of the tropics and subtropics, and are also found in buildings in more temperate regions, making them one of the most widespread ant species in the world. This species, as well as all others in the ant subfamily Formicinae, cannot sting. However, this species can fire/shoot a formic acid spray from its abdomen when under attack by other insects or attacking other insects. When the longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis) bends its abdomen while aiming at an enemy insect, it is typically shooting its hard-to-see acid.

These ants can be touched safely, similar to the ghost ants.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0