Myrmecina graminicola
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Myrmecina graminicola is a species of ant found throughout Northern Africa, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere in the Palearctic realm. Its colonies build nests in soil, under rocks, and in leaf litter. It was described in 1802 by Pierre André Latreille, initially in the genus Formica. They are not an aggressive species. When a worker encounters an intruder, it starts to play dead with its legs and antennae folded. They live in colonies that have less than 100 workers and one queen. Before mating, the female ant releases a pheromone that the male ant is attracted to this and the mating then occurs seconds after. The ant colonies move around following the queen's pheromone trail.
Male Myrmecina graminicola ants have been observed flying at high elevations (between 5 and 20 meters above the ground) during their mating flights, which is unusual for a species that normally nests and forages near the soil surface. Recent research has also identified several distinctive morphological traits in males, including a small hook-shaped structure on the dorsum and the absence of spurs on the middle and hind legs, features that help differentiate them from other species within the same genus. Wikipedia →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Woodlouse Ant sighting in Paris on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 502nd 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.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Woodlouse Ant in Paris on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Woodlouse Ant sightings, Paris ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Brussels (Belgium, under 5%) and London (United Kingdom, under 5%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Woodlouse 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 Woodlouse Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Paris (13 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.
