Solenopsis xyloni
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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 Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 121st most-seen of the 190 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May–June, September and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Fire Ant in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April, July–August and October–November, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Fire Ant sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Fire Ant that you can see in Joshua Tree National Park (family Formicidae, Ants) are Messor pergandei (about 30%), California Harvester Ant (about 30%) and Rough Harvester Ant (about 20%), 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 Joshua Tree National Park (8 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.
