# Ghost ant (*Tapinoma melanocephalum*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/ghost-ant  
Data as of: 2026-11-13

The ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum) is a species in the family Formicidae, order Hymenoptera.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Introduced range

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists it as introduced in 82 countries, and flagged as invasive in 33 of them. Introduced: Anguilla, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Tanzania, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, Yemen. Invasive: Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Canary Islands, Caribbean Netherlands, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, French Polynesia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Samoa, Sint Maarten, Somalia, Tanzania, Tonga, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Yemen. Source: https://griis.org/ (CC BY 4.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Hymenoptera
- family: Formicidae
- genus: Tapinoma
- species: *Tapinoma melanocephalum* (Fabricius, 1793)

Synonyms: *Formica domestica*, *Formica melanocephala*, *Formica nana*, *Formica wallacei*, *Lasius melanocephalus*, *Micromyrma melanocephalum*, *Myrmica melanocephala*, *Myrmica pellucida*, *Neoclystopsenella luffae*, *Tapinoma domesticum*, *Tapinoma jerdoni*, *Tapinoma luffae*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum australe*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum australis*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum coronatum*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum malesianum*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum var. australis*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum var. coronatum*, *Tapinoma melanocephalum var. malesianum*, *Tapinoma nana*, *Tapinoma pellucida*, *Tapinoma wallacei*

## Common questions

### Is the ghost ant an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the ghost ant as invasive in 33 countries, including Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Canary Islands and Caribbean Netherlands. It lists it as introduced in 82 in all.

### What kind of animal is the ghost ant?

The ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum) belongs to the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera.

## Sources

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Cite as: Ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ghost-ant