Plagiolepis alluaudi
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Plagiolepis alluaudi, the little yellow ant, is a species of Plagiolepis. The species is native to Madagascar, an island off the coast of East Africa. It is known to be a widespread invasive species. In an effort to distinguish its name from other small and yellow species of ant it may be called Alluaud's little yellow ant, after Charles A. Alluaud.
Plagiolepis alluaudi is a very small ant averaging 1⁄16 of an inch (1.6 mm) in total length. It is yellow in color, has a rounded head, and has eleven antennal segments. The only other yellow ant in the genus Plagiolepis is P. exigua, which has an oblong head. P. alluaudi may also be confused with workers of the genus Brachymyrmex, which have nine antennal segments.
Plagiolepis alluaudi consumes honeydew, a product of plant sap that is produced by insects such as aphids, mealybugs, and scale insects. P. alluaudi is known to protect these insect species—which are often agricultural pests—from predators, going so far as to raise the pests' offspring in their nest until the larvae reach adulthood.
Colonies of P. alluaudi contain thousands of egg-laying queen ants, forming supercolonies. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Yellow Ant sighting in Paris on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 561st most-seen of the 916 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Yellow Ant in Paris on a given day, against under 5% in January and March–October, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Little Yellow Ant sightings, Paris ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bengaluru (India, under 5%) and Berlin (Germany, under 5%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Little Yellow Ant that you can see in Paris (family Formicidae, Ants) are Central European Bicolored Ant (about 10%), Dolichoderus quadripunctatus (about 10%) and Brown Tree Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Yellow Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Paris (14 verified sightings), 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.
