Monomorium antarcticum
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Chelaner antarcticus, also known as the southern ant, is a species of ant endemic to New Zealand. It was first described in 1858 by British entomologist Frederick Smith and has undergone numerous taxonomic revisions. The ant is highly variable in size and colour, which has led scientists to suspect that it is in fact several species. It is widespread throughout New Zealand, even being found in the Kermadec Islands, and has also been observed in the Austral Islands. Colonies can be formed in a wide range of habitats such as native forest, grasslands and horticultural zones. The nest is constructed either under stones or under logs. It has a generalist diet that includes small arthropods, seeds and it also farms mealybugs for their secretions. C. antarcticus rarely co-occurs with several other species of ant, such as Prolasius advenus and the invasive argentine ant, with the reasons for this being a topic of research. The larva is known to be preyed upon by the larva of Helosciomyza subalpina, a species of fly.
This species was first described in 1858 by British entomologist Frederick Smith as Atta antarctica. In 1886, it was placed in the large and extremely diverse genus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Ant sighting in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 60 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Ant in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Ant sightings, Arthur's Pass National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 10%) and Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Ant that you can see in Arthur's Pass National Park (family Formicidae, Ants) are Small Brown Bush Ant (about 10%) and Striated Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Arthur's Pass National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
