Myrmica rubra

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Myrmica rubra
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Myrmica
Species: M. rubra
Binomial name
Myrmica rubra
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Myrmica rubra is a species of European ant. It is mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. The ants are polygynous and live under stones, fallen trees, and sometimes in the soil. Equipped with a stinger, these ants cannot spray ant-acid like the genus Formica.

Mainly originating from central Europe, this species is currently invading Japan and North America, where they are considered a nuisance and an invasive species.

The Swedish populations of the larvae of the butterfly Maculinea alcon (Alcon Blue) use Myrmica rubra as their primary host.

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Nest found under debris in disturbed woods:Cambridge, Massachusetts

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