Solenopsis geminata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 83 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, June and August–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Fire Ant in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–May and July, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Tropical Fire Ant sightings, Galápagos Islands ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Padre Island National Seashore (United States, about 10%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Tropical Fire Ant that you can see in Galápagos Islands (family Formicidae, Ants) are Longhorn Crazy Ant (about 10%), Ghost Ant (about 10%) and Odontomachus bauri (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 Galápagos Islands (15 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.
