Solenopsis geminata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Solenopsis geminata or tropical fire ant is a species of fire ants, described by Fabricius in 1804, in the tribe Solenopsidini; it was originally placed in the Atta genus. This species has a pan-tropical distribution. Solenopsis geminata is native to Northern, Central and South America, including the Caribbean islands, but has since spread throughout the tropics by human means. It is an invasive species with a world-wide distribution even greater than that of other invasive fire ant species such as Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant).
S. geminata build their nests primarily in the soil in open, sunny areas. The nests are formed, some as craters or mounds, up to 2 feet wide and 12 inches tall with multiple entrance holes up to some 20 per nest. The number of mounds varies greatly, from 10 to 80 per acre in native habitats to up to 1000 or even 1500 mounds per acre in areas where they are introduced.
The colonies can either be monogyne, containing a single queen, or polygyne, containing many reproductive queens. They are known to hybridize with other closely related fire ant species. Queens may start a new colony following a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Hyderabad | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kanpur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 5 | Prayagraj | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 8 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Denpasar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Fire Ant sighting in Pune on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 99th most-seen of the 340 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Fire Ant in Pune on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, August and November, the lowest months. That is one of Pune's wettest months, with about 520 mm of rain against almost none in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tropical Fire Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
15th of 24
Of the 24 cities where we can rate Tropical Fire Ant sightings, Pune ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in Davao City (Philippines, about 30%), Hyderabad (India, about 30%) and Kanpur (India, about 20%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Tropical Fire Ant that you can see in Pune (family Formicidae, Ants) are Asian Weaver Ant (about 20%), Indian Black Ant (about 10%) and Longhorn Crazy Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical Fire Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Pune (28 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.
