Groove-headed Fierce ant

Tetramorium simillimum · 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.
Groove-headed Fierce ant
Photo: Thomas Irvine, CC BY

The groove-headed fierce ant is a small, pale-colored species. It occurs on almost every continent, making it a widespread ant.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Its key identification marks are its small size and pale coloration.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Workers are small and pale in color.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It can be found in many habitats across most continents.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The species is widespread and occurs on almost all continents.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Hawaii, Texas, District of Columbia.

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

Source: GBIF

Status: introduced in North America. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Groove-headed Fierce ant photo 3
Photo: Jake Nitta, CC BY
Groove-headed Fierce ant photo 4
Photo: Thomas Irvine, CC BY
Groove-headed Fierce ant photo 5
Photo: unknown, CC0
Groove-headed Fierce ant photo 6
Photo: Raven Dandridge, 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/Tetramorium_simillimum

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 2026-10-23.

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.