Workers are small, usually about 3–5 mm; soldiers are larger-headed.
Fine-art photographic collection
Colobopsis truncata
A cork-headed tree ant that seals its doorway with a living shield.
About this species
Cork-headed ant
Colobopsis truncata(Spinola, 1808)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Colobopsis truncata is a small arboreal ant of Europe and the Mediterranean. Soldiers have a sharply cut-off head that fits nest entrances in twigs and branches.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Colobopsis
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
Southern and central EuropeBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
Southern and central Europe, extending around the Mediterranean.
Warm woodland, orchards, parks and trees containing beetle borings or hollow twigs.
Forages on bark and foliage during warm weather.
Honeydew, nectar and small arthropods.
Small colonies occupy narrow cavities in wood; specialised soldiers guard entrances with their heads.
What makes this species remarkable?
A soldier can block a nest hole almost perfectly by pressing its truncated head into the opening.
Nest cavities are often pre-existing tunnels rather than galleries excavated by the ants.
Workers remain largely in the canopy and are easily overlooked from ground level.