Crematogaster Biroi (yellow Asian Acrobat Ant)

Crematogaster biroi (Yellow Asian Acrobat Ant)

The Asian variant of the ant commonly known as the Acrobat Ant, can usually be found spanning territories of India and China. Unlike their European counterparts which are commonly seen in the hobby, these are usually golden yellow/orange in colouration instead of red & black seen in Crematogaster scutellaris. 

Interestingly, in terms of nesting habits, they differ quite a lot to others of their genus as they are known to create subterranean nests as opposed to arboreal ones (usually in pine tree trunks). These ground-dwelling ants have adapted very well to such a low-light environment through physical adaptations such as smaller eyes. 

Such nests are usually rather simple chambers and tunnels that are created under stones, twigs and logs on the forest floor. 

Crematogaster biroi is a general predator which means that they will consume a large range of insects, from crickets to flies to spiders. Whilst they are typically rather slow moving and non-aggresive, they can and will initiate attack responses to prey in the form of stinging and biting in combination with formic acid. 

This brightly coloured species of ant is relatively easy to keep. In terms of growth they can reach upwards of 10,000 individuals and even more so in polygynous (more than 1 queen) colonies. However, due to their small size a large formicarium is not necessarily needed. 

It is illegal and strictly frowned upon to release any non-native ants into the wild.