Monomorium carbonarium
In 3 days ~10%
Monomorium carbonarium, also referred to the little black ant in North America, is a species of ant native to North America and Europe. It is a shiny black color, the workers about 1 to 2 mm long and the queens 4 to 5 mm long. It is a monomorphic species, with only one caste of worker, and polygynous, meaning a nest may have more than one queen. A colony is usually moderately sized with only a few thousand
workers. M. carbonarium are scavengers that will consume anything from bird droppings to dead insects. They are predators of codling moth larvae, and also of fall webworm. Workers may forage in households, but nest in soil mounds. They harvest the honeydew of aphids such as the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines).
During mid-summer the queens and males perform the nuptial flight, mating in midair. The males die shortly after. Each queen constructs a new nest, sheds its wings, and lays eggs. The development from egg to adult takes about a month.
In a laboratory setting queens were found to live about one year and workers about four months. Formerly separate species, Monomorium minimum and Monomorium trageri were synonymized under M. carbonarium by Seifert in 2025.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Monomorium carbonarium sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1424th most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Monomorium carbonarium in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Monomorium carbonarium sightings, Washington ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mexico City (México, under 5%) and New York City (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Monomorium carbonarium that you can see in Washington (family Formicidae, Ants) are Chestnut Carpenter Ant (about 10%), Ferruginous Carpenter Ant (about 10%) and Eastern Black Carpenter Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Monomorium carbonarium is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (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.
