Cocktail-ants

Guides

• Crematogaster

  Acrobat Ants, Cocktail Ants, Saint Valentine Ants

  Crematogaster is a large, ecologically diverse genus of ants with over 520 described species distributed worldwide. The genus is characterized by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster that can be raised forward over the thorax and head when alarmed, a behavior that has earned them the common names "cocktail ants" and "acrobat ants." Most species are arboreal, though some are ground-nesting. They exhibit complex social behaviors including cooperative hunting, trail-based recruitment, and defensive venom spraying.

  antsFormicidaemyrmecophytismarborealpredatoryvenomoustrail-layingmutualismglobal-distributionsocial-insectscaste-polymorphismalternative-reproductionacrobat-antscocktail-antsSaint-Valentine-ants