Workers are extremely small, usually around 1.5–2.5 millimetres.
Fine-art photographic collection
Solenopsis fugax
A tiny ant tunnelling into neighbouring nests to steal brood and food.
About this species
European thief ant
Solenopsis fugax(Latreille, 1798)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Solenopsis fugax is a minute European thief ant. Colonies often nest close to larger ants and use very narrow connecting tunnels to enter neighbouring nests and remove brood or food without allowing the larger residents to follow.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Myrmicinae · Solenopsidini · Solenopsis
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and western AsiaBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
Europe and western Asia.
Warm grassland, dry soil, field margins, gardens and open woodland.
Most activity is subterranean and easily overlooked.
Small arthropods, brood and food stolen from neighbouring ant colonies, plus sugary liquids.
Soil colonies with queens and many tiny workers capable of using exceptionally narrow tunnels.
What makes this species remarkable?
Its narrow tunnels can exclude the much larger ants it parasitises.
The hidden lifestyle means the species is often detected only during mating flights.
Workers are among the smallest ants regularly encountered in Europe.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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