Mangrove Twig Ant

Pseudomyrmex elongatus · 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.
Mangrove Twig Ant
Photo: April Nobile, CC BY

The mangrove twig ant has long eyes and a mostly opaque head. Its head width is only about 0.56 to 0.68 mm, making it a very small ant. It is a common species that ranges from Mexico down through Argentina.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It shows long eyes and a predominantly opaque head.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The head width measures roughly 0.56 to 0.68 mm, indicating a small size.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

This ant is widely spread and common from Mexico to Argentina.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas.

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

Source: GBIF

Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Mangrove Twig Ant photo 2
Photo: April Nobile, CC BY
Mangrove Twig Ant photo 3
Photo: Kyle Van Houtan, CC BY
Mangrove Twig Ant photo 4
Photo: April Nobile, CC BY
Mangrove Twig Ant photo 5
Photo: Raven Dandridge, CC BY

Same family (Formicidae)

Eastern Black Carpenter AntEastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan biteRed 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/Pseudomyrmex_elongatus

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

Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.

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.