Myrmica rubra: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Myrmica rubra lives – recorded in 15 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Myrmica rubra
Group	Bees, wasps & ants
Found in	15 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Formicidae

Where does the Myrmica rubra live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Myrmica rubra in 15 countries and territories across Europe and North America. In Canada it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the Myrmica rubra?

The Myrmica rubra (Myrmica rubra) is an insect in the order Hymenoptera and the family Formicidae, genus Myrmica. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Myrmica rubra

Myrmica rubra, also known in the UK as the common red ant or in the USA as the European fire ant, is a species of ant of the genus Myrmica. It is found across Europe and is now invasive in some parts of North America and Asia. It is mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. These ants live under stones and fallen trees, and in soil. They are aggressive, often attacking rather than running away, and are equipped with a stinger, though they lack the ability to spray formic acid like the genus Formica.

This species is very similar to M. ruginodis, M. rubra is common in Southern England and becomes rarer further north whereas M. ruginodis is common all over the UK including Northern Scotland.

The larvae of the butterflies Phengaris alcon (Alcon blue) and P. teleius (scarce large blue) use M. rubra as their primary host.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Myrmica rubra (revision 1380197187), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q650996 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).