# Indian Black Ant

*Camponotus compressus*

This ant guards sap-sucking insects and lycaenid butterfly caterpillars against predators in exchange for sweet honeydew droplets.

- **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.

## About

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...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/121b785f-5821-4f79-9cbb-474021137551
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/490629
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camponotus compressus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/47816340/medium.jpeg (Subhadra Devi, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.