About Solenopsis fugax (Latreille, 1798)
Solenopsis fugax is a myrmicine ant belonging to the genus Solenopsis. It is the only native member of the genus Solenopsis found in the British Isles. Though it is a rare species, Horace Donisthorpe has collected specimens from multiple localities on England’s southern coast. These localities include Sandown and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, as well as the southwestern Lyme Regis region. This species can be found across Europe, Central Asia, and some areas of South West Asia. Solenopsis fugax is a thief ant; it typically builds its nest near the nest of another ant species. It steals food from the other colony by digging tiny tunnels that connect its own nest to the foreign colony, and traveling through these tunnels to enter the other colony.
