Workers are roughly 5–8 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Stigmatomma reclinatum
An underground predator whose adults can drink blood-like haemolymph from their own larvae without killing them.
About this species
Dracula Ant
Stigmatomma reclinatum(Mayr, 1879)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Stigmatomma reclinatum is a cryptic Asian amblyoponine ant. It belongs to the “Dracula ant” lineage, whose adults obtain nutrients from larvae and whose long toothed mandibles are adapted for hunting elongate soil arthropods.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Amblyoponinae · Stigmatomma
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
South and Southeast AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
South and Southeast Asia
Deep leaf litter, rotting wood and soil in humid forest.
Subterranean and litter-dwelling, rarely seen in the open.
Centipedes and other soft-bodied soil arthropods; adults also receive larval haemolymph and trophic eggs.
Small cryptic colonies; reproductive organisation can differ from conventional queen-led ants.
What makes this species remarkable?
The winged queen caste has been lost: reproduction is handled by mated workers called gamergates, with higher-ranked individuals developing the largest reproductive oocytes.
Workers produce trophic eggs — eggs manufactured as food rather than offspring — creating an internal nutrient supply that can be fed to nestmates or brood.
Every step can leave a chemical message: a specialised footprint gland in the tiny terminal foot segment deposits a recruitment secretion as the ant walks.
Sources and scientific references
- GBIF — taxon record/search for Stigmatomma reclinatum
- Catalogue of Life — taxon search for Stigmatomma reclinatum
- Peeters & Fisher — documented loss of queens and gamergate reproduction in Stigmatomma reclinatum
- Aupanun et al. — trophic eggs in Stigmatomma reclinatum
- Billen et al. — pretarsal footprint gland and nestmate recruitment
More photographs
43