Golden-tailed Sugar Ant
Camponotus aeneopilosus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae
These ants are small, measuring about 5 to 9 mm long, and are mostly black except for a golden-haired abdomen. They nest under soil, rocks or logs, are active only in daylight, and are native to eastern Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The body is almost entirely black, but the gaster is covered with golden hairs. They do not have the spines that many related ants have on the mesosoma.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Workers range from about 5 mm to 9 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They build nests under soil, beneath rocks, and sometimes in decaying logs.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
These ants are only active during the day.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are found naturally in eastern Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos

Same family (Formicidae)
Eastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your home
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan sting
American Winter AntPrenolepis imparis
Argentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerous
Immigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan sting
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_tail_sugar_ant
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.