The Southern fire ant, Solenopsis xyloni, is a stinging fire ant native to southern parts of the United States. Its behavior is similar to the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), although its sting is less painful. Its main source of food is honeydew collected from aphids and other insects.
Southern fire ant shares its range (the area it inhabits) 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 Georgia through lowland Tennessee and south-central Kansas to California.
The scientific name comes from the Greek: Solenopsis means pipe-faced and xyloni means of-wood. This is unusual, however, because the Southern fire ant does not eat or inhabit bark or fallen timber.
Famous quotes containing the words southern, fire and/or ant:
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Grandfather, you were the pillar of fire in front of the camp and now we are left in the camp alone, in the dark; and we are so cold and so sad.”
—Noa Ben-Artzi Philosof (b. 1978)
“The owl is abroad, the bat and the toad,
And so is the cat-a-mountain;
The ant and the mole sit both in a hole,
And frog peeps out o’ the fountain.”
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637)