Arboreal Sneaking Ant

Cardiocondyla obscurior · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae

Also called: Ant

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.

It builds nests in plant cavities of low vegetation rather than on the ground. It is native to Costa Rica but has been reported in other countries.

How to recognize it

These ants are light brown or orange and have a darker abdomen.

They live in cavities of low-lying plants, making them arboreal rather than ground-dwelling.

Both wingless and winged males occur; winged males are produced only when temperatures drop about 5 °C.

The species originates from Costa Rica and has been found in other nations as well.

Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York.

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Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist

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Source: GBIF

Where is this ant found?

It is native to Costa Rica and has been reported in other countries.

How does its life cycle differ from other ants?

It produces winged males only when a temperature drop of about 5 °C occurs, while wingless males are always present.

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.