Solenopsis xyloni
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The southern fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni), also known as the Californian fire ant or cotton ant, is a stinging fire ant native to southern parts of the United States. Its behaviour is similar to the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), although its sting is less painful. It has a broad and opportunistic diet, and will store seeds in its nest and eat honeydew collected from other insects.
The southern fire ant shares its range with the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), the golden fire ant (S. aurea) and S. amblychila. The southern fire ant has the widest distribution of these, occurring from the Carolinas to California, including Georgia, lowland Tennessee, Arkansas, and southern Kansas. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Fire Ant sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 91st most-seen of the 108 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Fire Ant in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–July and September–January, the lowest months. Those are among Death Valley National Park's wettest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Fire 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 Fire Ant sightings, Death Valley National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 10%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Fire Ant that you can see in Death Valley National Park (family Formicidae, Ants) are Messor pergandei (about 40%), California Harvester Ant (about 10%) and Rough Harvester Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Fire Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Death Valley National Park (5 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.
