# Liometopum luctuosum

The black garden ant is a small, shiny insect that loves to live in gardens. They work together in big groups to find food and build their homes underground.

- **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Urban areas

![Liometopum luctuosum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Liometopum_luctuosum_casent0102759_profile_1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: April Nobile, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liometopum_luctuosum_casent0102759_profile_1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Liometopum luctuosum is a dark brown to black ant with a distinctive velvety sheen, making it appear soft. Its body is relatively robust with a single-segmented waist (petiole), and it often has a slightly reddish tint on its legs.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Hymenoptera
- **Family:** Formicidae
- **Genus:** Liometopum

## Interesting facts

- A single colony can have more than fifty thousand ants working together!
- If you disturb them, they release a strong, lemony, citronella-like smell!
- These ants are often found nesting inside dead wood high up in tall trees!
- They are sometimes called 'velvety tree ants' because of their soft, dark look.

## Special abilities

- **Citronella Cloud:** Liometopum luctuosum can release a strong, citronella-like scent because of special glands that help them deter predators and warn other ants.
- **Arboreal Architects:** Liometopum luctuosum has the ability to construct nests high up in trees because of their strong mandibles that helps them excavate soft wood.
- **Honeydew Harvesters:** Liometopum luctuosum can 'farm' tiny insects like aphids because they protect them, which helps them collect sweet honeydew for food.

## Measurements & details

- **Size:** 3-6 mm
- **Lifespan:** 60-365 days
- **Leg Count:** 6
- **Colony Size:** 50000

## Diet & Feeding

These ants enjoy sweet honeydew from tiny insects and also eat dead bugs!

- **Primary Foods:** honeydew, aphids, scale insects, dead insects, small arthropods
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Symbiotic with:** melon aphid (*Aphis gossypii*) — Ants protect aphids for their sweet honeydew.
- **Eats:** seven-spotted ladybug (*Coccinella septempunctata*) — Ladybugs prey on aphids, which ants protect.
- **Eats:** coast horned lizard (*Phrynosoma coronatum*) — Lizards might occasionally eat these ants.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Miniature](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/miniature): Pertaining to species that are significantly smaller than typical or average for their kind.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Be careful not to disturb their nests, as they can bite if they feel threatened.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Liometopum luctuosum?

Compare the antennae, waist segments, body proportions and size. Workers, queens and males of the same species can look surprisingly different. Ant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How big is Liometopum luctuosum?

3-6 mm

### How long does Liometopum luctuosum live?

60-365 days

### What does Liometopum luctuosum eat?

These ants enjoy sweet honeydew from tiny insects and also eat dead bugs!

### Where is Liometopum luctuosum usually found?

Urban areas

### How does Liometopum luctuosum hunt?

Foraging

### How many legs does Liometopum luctuosum have?

6

### How large are Liometopum luctuosum colonies?

50000

## Where to spot

- [Grandview Mine](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/grandview-mine) — Arizona, US · Historic Site

## More Insects

- [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*)
- [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*)
- [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*)
- [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*)

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Source: [Liometopum luctuosum: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/liometopum-luctuosum)