Myrmicinae

Messor barbarus
The harvester ant, granivorous and spectacular. A fascinating species for motivated beginners.
Myrmica rubra
The European red ant, small but stinging. A beginner-friendly polygynous species.
Tetramorium caespitum
The pavement ant, tiny but voracious. Ideal to observe a large colony in little space.
Aphaenogaster senilis
The long-legged Aphaenogaster, elegant and active. An emblematic species of the western Mediterranean.
Crematogaster scutellaris
The acrobat ant with its raised gaster. Visually spectacular and arboreal.
Messor structor
A continental harvester ant, smaller than M. barbarus but suited to a temperate climate.
Manica rubida
The reddish alpine ant, hardy, with a painful sting. An uncommon myrmicine in captivity.
Pheidole pallidula
The dimorphic species par excellence: workers and big-headed soldiers. Spectacular.
Aphaenogaster subterranea
The subterranean ant, discreet but fascinating. Observable cooperative-hunting behaviour.
Crematogaster sordidula
A small Mediterranean acrobat ant with a raised gaster. More discreet than its cousin scutellaris.
Solenopsis fugax
The little thief ant, tiny but formidable. To observe a unique parasitic behaviour.
Pogonomyrmex barbatus
The American red harvester ant, with one of the most toxic venoms among insects. Never handle bare-handed.
Pogonomyrmex californicus
The California harvester ant, a pleometrotic founder (several queens at the start). Fascinating social behaviour.
Atta sexdens
The leafcutter ant, world champion of agriculture. A demanding exotic to keep.
Atta cephalotes
The other great tropical leafcutter, more jungle-oriented than its cousin A. sexdens. Soldiers with monstrous mandibles.