85 Common And Scientific Ant Names By Species

Joan Agie
Jan 15, 2024 By Joan Agie
Originally Published on Jun 02, 2022
Edited by Charlene Flanagana
Fact-checked by Sonali Rawat
Popular ant names include worker ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, Argentine ants, and queen ants.
Age: 0-99
Read time: 8.7 Min

Ants are foraging animals that use their nimble legs to move around quickly and have a powerful sting to be safe from predators.

All ant species live in colonies where their habitat is in the form of a nest underground, away from light and near moisture. But some house ants make their habitat in the foundations of a home, where there is abundant moisture and food.

In the colonies, worker ants are responsible for completing all the tasks like foraging for food, while the queen ant is responsible for laying eggs in the nest and also for taking care of the eggs

When compared to their body size, these insects are amongst the strongest animals in the world. Some ant species have wings but tend to lose these wings as they age. The common ant species that the world knows about are fire ant, Argentine ant, red bull ant, carpenter ant, and several others.

Read on to know more about these insects and what they feed on. Afterward, also check scorpion names and the names of amphibians.

Scientific Names For Ants

Ant is an English nickname abbreviated from the given name Anthony/Antony. The lead female ant is also known as the queen? Here are some amazing scientific names for ants.

Anoplolepis gracilipes, this name is the scientific name for yellow crazy ants.

Camponotus pennsylvanicus is the scientific name for black carpenter ant. Carpenter ant is one of the most common North American pest species.

Lasius niger is the scientific name for black ant. One of the rare types of ant names.

Myrmecia gulosa is the scientific name for red bull ant, which lays dark-colored eggs.

Oecophylla is also the genus name and the scientific name for weaver ants. One of the common types of ant names.

Pogonomyrmex barbatus is the scientific name for the harvester ant. These insects like to feed on sweet food.

Solenopsis invicta is the scientific name for black imported fire ant. They are successfully invasive in most US regions and various other regions of the world

Tetramorium caespitum is the scientific name for pavement ant. Body-color of these insects is usually dark black across the world.

Ant Species By Common Names

Formicidae is the most common scientific name for ground ants and house ants. Here are some amazing ant species by their common names:

Aenictus ceylonicus (Common name: Army ants) are totally blind and incredibly small in size.

Aphaenogaster pythia (Common name: Funnel ant) is one of the lesser-known species of ants with a painful sting.

C. edentatus (Common name: Blind cannibal ants) is one of the rare species of ant.

C. fervidus (Common name: Two-lined cannibal ants) belong to the family Formicidae and subfamily  Formicinae

C. longitarsus (Common name: Topless cannibal ants) among its near relatives is the most widely dispersed species and one of the most ubiquitous members of the genus.

C. singularis (Common name: Angle-headed cannibal ants) nests are often positioned near food supplies to save foraging times and increase colony efficiency. Colonies will abandon nests when food sources move.

Camponotus consobrinus (Common name: Sugar ant) is a ground-nesting species that recruit via tandem running.

Doleromyrma darwiniana (Common name: Brown house ant) are primarily found in north temperate regions. It belongs to the animal kingdom.

I. anceps (Common name: Tropical tyrant ants), this ant species has a tropical distribution.

I. bicknelli (Common name: Dome-headed tyrant ants), as the name suggests, their posterior of head characteristically dome-shaped

I. calvus (Common name: Calvus tyrant ants), The southern Australian continent, Tasmania, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and New Caledonia are all known to have it.

I. conifer (Common name: Coned tyrant ants), this ant species has a conical propodeum

I. cyaneus (Common name: Blue tyrant ants), they have integument with bluish iridescence

I. gracilis (Common name: Gracile tyrant ants), they are of  Order: Flies and Suborder: Aschiza

I. greensladei (Common name: Greenslade's meat ant), Fresh worker material may be identified by its black color and vivid blue iridescence. However, it might be challenging to distinguish fading specimens from western examples of I. purpureus.

I. lividus (Common name: blue meat ant), they have integument with a blue iridescence.

I. mattiroloi (Common name: little tyrant ants) they are the smallest of all Iridomyrmex

I. pallidus (Common name: Pale tyrant ants), this ant nests in soil and is primarily nocturnal within its habitat, consisting mainly of tropical rainforest and tropical eucalypt woodland. It may, however, forage throughout the day if the conditions are right.

I. purpureus (Common name: Meat ants) is one of the most common and visible ants in most of southern Australia. They build enormous pebble-covered nests in colonies with many individual nests typically linked by well-worn 'highways'. Colonies usually have roughly seven separate nests, although this can range from a single nest to over a dozen, with only one queen per colony.

I. reburrus (Common name: Bearded meat ant) displays a penchant for riparian settings and was recently discovered to be very widespread at Darwin (Northern Territory) International Airport, along the banks of Rapid Creek, with colonies widely removed from other known populations.

I. sanguineus (Common name: Northern meat ant) occur in climatic zones.

I. viridiaeneus (Common name: Centralian meat ant) is the most widely distributed of the meat ants and occurs throughout Australia.

Iridomyrmex purpureus (Common name: Meat ant), large pebble mounds with multiple nest holes are created by this species.

Melophorus bagoti (Common name: Honeypot ant) lots of research on the direction of desert ants have focused on this species. Still, its thermophilic characteristics and nest construction have also gotten attention.

Myrmecia brevinoda (Common name: Giant bulldog ant) is one of the largest species. The physical variety of ants is one of the reasons they are so successful.

Nothomyrmecia macrops (Common name: Dinosaur ant), for decades following its discovery in 1934, this ant remained a myrmecological puzzle. Their population appears to be rather small, occupying only a few hectares. The ant is not present in nearby locations that appear to be comparable.

Ochetellus glaber (Common name Black: house ant) is found in meadows and woodland borders south of the Kanto district. It builds its nest in rotten wood, dead twigs, and beneath stones.

Oecophylla smaragdina (Common name: Green treent, or weaver) are aggressive arboreal ants that weave leaves together to build nesting chambers using larval silk. A mature colony of Oecophylla smaragdina can completely control a tree (or several), with nests strewn around their densely fortified arboreal territory.

Pheidole ampla (Common name: Seedharvesting ants) have small to medium colonies, and they nest under stones in grassy places.

Polyrhachis macropus (Common name: Mulga ant) is a lesser-known ant species.

Polyrhachis ornata (Common name: Golden ant) belongs to the kingdom Animalia and phylum Arthropoda.

names for kids that are scientific

Pet Ant Names And Ideas

Looking for some cute names for your pet ants? Then you have ventured to the right place. Check out the list below enlisting some great ideas for your lovely pet ant!

Amanda, this is a great name.

Andrew, this is also one of the most widely used names.

Annie a cute name right out of a fairyland.

Antabella, this is a sweet name for all the female ants.

Antalie, this name has a Latin origin.

Anther, this name has a beautiful meaning, 'flowery'.

Anthony, this is an adorable name for your cute pet ant.

Antia, it sounds like a cute baby ant.

Antman, this name is for all the marvel fans around the globe. This is your only chance to grab the idea and name your pet ants!

Antoine, this name gives a great sense of happiness and fulfillment.

Anton, this name is very familiar to the term ant. Hence this is your perfect choice!

Antoni is a masculine name.

Antonio is a famous name used by kids to name their pet ants.

Antwon, this is the most handsome name ever!

Argentine sport unevenly shaped thoraxes and are wingless. Argentine ant is one of the common pest species.

Bob, the Cool Ant, is for owners with a great sense of humor to name their pet ant.

Carpenter can be red, black, brown, or a combination thereof.

Citronella, the lemon verbena odor that the citronella (yellow) ant emits when threatened or trodden on, gives it its name.

Constantine, this is based on a movie by our favorite, Keanu Reeves!

Crazy, they move in a zig-zag fashion.

Fire, crimson-colored red imported fire ants are most common in the South and Southwest.

Ghost, named for their pale exoskeletons and minute size.

Leaf Cutter is light brown with exceptionally long legs.

Little Black, they hide behind walls, under rocks, beneath piles of logs, and in other shadowy voids.

Lukas has both Greek and Latin origins.

Marie Antoinette, this is a name full of sweetness.

Neill wins the award for being the coolest name for an ant.

Odorous is a black, shiny odorous house ant. If stepped on, it can stink up the place.

Pavement is the most common household invader.

Pharoah is small with a brown-to-yellowish color thorax (the middle part of the body) that gives them an almost transparent quality.

Pyramid has a triangle protrusion on the top of their thorax that ranges from brown to dark reddish-brown.

Rosie comes right from the rose, wonderful like your pet ant.

Ryant is yet another rare find! Don't let it slip away.

White Footed, these are white-footed and hence easy to identify.

Famous Ant Names From Movies

Apart from your love for ants, are you a movie enthusiast looking for famous ant names from movies? Look below! Here are some famous ant names from movies: -

Adam Ant is the cutest ant's name ever.

Ant hunters used to hunt the ants in the movie 'The Bug's Life'.

Ant-Man, this is from the famous marvel movie 'The Ant-Man'.

Cornelius from 'A Bugs Life' specializes in agriculture and is one of the oldest ants.

Doctor Flora was the best doctor in the movie 'A Bug's life'.

Dot is the protagonist of Disney/Pixar's 1998 film, 'A Bug's Life'.

Ferda Mravenec is a beautiful character in the movie 'A Bug's Life.'

Flik is a strange, ingenious ant who is determined to change his colony's way of life.

Mister Soil was the cutest character in 'A Bug's Life'.

Princess Atta is the princess of the ant colony.

The Antagonizer was a villain ant.

The Queen was the ruler of the ant colony in the movie 'A Bug's Life

Thorny is a short grumpy ant from 'A Bug's Life'.

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Written by Joan Agie

Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

Joan Agie picture

Joan AgieBachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

With 3+ years of research and content writing experience across several niches, especially on education, technology, and business topics. Joan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and has worked as a researcher and writer for organizations across Nigeria, the US, the UK, and Germany. Joan enjoys meditation, watching movies, and learning new languages in her free time.

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