Common Porthole Ant

Ponera pennsylvanica · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae

Also called: Pennsylvania Ant, Pennsylvania Ponera

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Common Porthole Ant
Photo: unknown, CC0

The common porthole ant builds its nests under rotting wood, in soil, leaf mold, and even acorns. It is typically found in moist forests across eastern North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Nests are located under rotting logs, in rotting stumps, logs, acorns, soil, and leaf mold.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The species occurs in mesic forests of eastern North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 45 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Alabama, Virginia, New York, Arkansas, North Carolina.

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

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Common Porthole Ant photo 3
Photo: unknown, CC0
Common Porthole Ant photo 4
Photo: Emmett Collins-Sussman, CC BY
Common Porthole Ant photo 5
Photo: Zeke Blankenship, CC BY
Common Porthole Ant photo 6
Photo: feralbeetle, CC BY

Same family (Formicidae)

Eastern Black Carpenter AntEastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your homeRed Imported Fire AntRed Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan stingAmerican Winter AntAmerican Winter AntPrenolepis imparisArgentine AntArgentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerousImmigrant Pavement AntImmigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan stingOdorous House AntOdorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your home

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponera_pennsylvanica

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

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.