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Ants of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY FORMICIDAE

Ghost Ant
Tapinoma melanocephalum

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Superfamily Formicoidea

-Ants (Family Formicidae)

-Odorous Ants (Subfamily Dolichoderinae)

-Tapinomin Ants (Tribe Tapinomini)

-Genus Tapinoma

-Ghost Ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum)


Tapinoma melanocephalum, commonly known as the ghost ant, is a small, highly adaptable ant species that is native to tropical and subtropical regions but has spread worldwide due to human activity. Workers are very small, measuring about 1.3–1.5 mm in length. The body is pale or translucent with a dark head and thorax, giving it a "ghost-like" appearance. Ghost ants are omnivorous, feeding on sweets (sugar, honeydew) and proteins (insects or meat).



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