Trichomyrmex destructor - Destructive Trailing Ant - Animal India

Trichomyrmex destructor is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Its common names include destructive trailing ant or Singapore ant. It is a pest species in urban areas, known for causing costly damage to structures, vehicles, and electronic devices with its chewing activity. This is a "tramp ant", an invasive ant species that easily becomes established and dominant in new habitats due to traits such as aggression toward other ant species, little aggression toward members of its own species, efficient recruitment, and large colony size. As a tramp ant, it has spread throughout the world via human transport systems, particularly shipping. It is introduced with freight in a variety of transport modes. It can be found in tropical regions worldwide, and it can live in urban environments in temperate climates. It is present in or has been reported from many countries and islands in Asia, Africa, Australasia and other Pacific Islands, the West Indies, North, Central, and South America, and Europe. The worker is variable in size, from 1.8 to 3.5 millimeters (0.07 to 0.14 inches) in length, and color, from light yellow to darker brownish yellow, but usually with a "chocolate" abdomen. Here, a group of Destructive Trailing Ants (Trichomyrmex destructor) attack and kill an earthworm, then cut it into pieces and take it away to the ant nest to eat at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on 26/11/2024.