About Meranoplus bicolor (Guérin-Méneville, 1844)
Meranoplus bicolor is an ant species belonging to the Myrmicinae subfamily. It inhabits various Asian countries, favoring habitats such as open grasslands and open-canopy forests. The species nests in soil, typically at the base of plants, and their nests generally consist of a simple hole, which may sometimes feature multiple openings. Worker ants forage both on the ground and on plants, where they feed on extrafloral nectaries and tend to aphids. This species is native to regions including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tibet, southern China, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Additionally, it has been observed in Borneo, Singapore, New Zealand, and Louisiana. In 2021, the presence of Meranoplus bicolor in the Philippines was reported by Filipino–Canadian YouTuber Mikey Bustos, an ant enthusiast known as AntsCanada, with the discovery later confirmed by Dr. David General, a taxonomist and myrmecologist at the University of the Philippines, marking it as the 555th ant species identified in the country.
