Diet

• Predatory, feeding primarily on termites, ants, beetles, caterpillars, cockroaches, spiders, centipedes, and other arthropods.

• Also scavenges dead insects and occasionally feeds on nectar, honeydew, and fruit juices.

• Workers forage individually, using their powerful mandibles and venomous sting to capture and subdue prey.

Range

• Native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

• In Mexico, it occurs along both the Pacific and Gulf slopes, including Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

• Common in tropical and subtropical lowland forests.

Habitat

• Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, mangroves, secondary forests, woodland edges, and coastal forests.

• Frequently nests in hollow trees, beneath loose bark, inside rotting logs, tree cavities, and especially among the leaf bases of bromeliads, where moisture and prey are abundant.

• Workers forage both on tree trunks and on the forest floor.

Size

• Worker length: 10–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in)

• Queen length: 14–18 mm (0.6–0.7 in)

• Colonies typically contain 100–500 workers.