Red ant

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.

Little information about S. saevissima and its behaviors is known or studied except from a few reports in Brazil and in French Guiana. The species is apparently all polygynous across the native habitat, and highly aggressive.

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