Indian Black Ant
Camponotus compressus
This ant guards sap-sucking insects and lycaenid butterfly caterpillars against predators in exchange for sweet honeydew droplets.
- Scientific name
- Camponotus compressus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Formicidae › Camponotus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical dry deciduous forests, scrublands, open woodlands, agricultural borders, and urban gardens.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; feeds on floral nectar, fruit juice, small arthropods, carrion, and honeydew secreted by sap-sucking insects.
- Range
- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh
- Size
- 6–16 mm long for workers, queens up to 20 mm
- Lifespan
- 6–12 months for workers, up to 10 years for queens
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Broad-spectrum insecticide use and extreme habitat alteration, though the species remains widespread and adaptable.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. Large major workers can pinch skin with their mandibles and spray formic acid into the wound, causing a brief stinging sensation. If bitten, wash the area with soap and water; medical attention is rarely necessary.
Camponotus compressus is a species of ant found in India and Southeast Asia. It is a frequent visitor to toilets as it consumes urea. It is one of the many species which tends plant-sap-sucking insects like aphids and tree hoppers. These ants stroke their antenna on the hind parts of these insects stimulating them to excrete a sugar rich liquid, called honeydew, which the ants consume. In return, they are known to protect the insects from...
Photo: Subhadra Devi, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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