Stictoponera coxalis

This one carries a touch more presence than its smaller relatives while staying easy to house, so individual ants are simple to follow as they hunt. It comes from the warm, humid island of Sri Lanka in South Asia, a home that shapes the steady, moist care it likes. The pace is slow and methodical, ideal for keepers who enjoy watching deliberate predators rather than fast-moving swarms, and the sting is mild enough to keep handling the outworld relaxed. Rated Intermediate, it is the semi-claustral founding stage, with the queen feeding while she raises her first brood, that keeps it just above beginner level.

A deliberate hunter: small live or freshly killed insects feed the brood, caught by foragers working the ground. The adults take a little sugar for their own energy, so keep a light nectar source beside the prey.

★★★ readily · ★★ moderately · ★ occasionally · ✗ not eaten

Begin this Sri Lankan ponerine in a compact moisture-holding nest with a humid chamber and upgrade to a larger formicarium as the colony fills out. It wants Ytong, aerated concrete or plaster that holds water and a nest kept consistently damp, since it is a forest predator from a humid island. Connect a hunting arena and treat the rim with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water to keep the ants contained. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits cover the full range a ponerine colony needs, supplying the damp nest, arena and barrier together.

This island ponerine likes it warm and consistently humid. Hold the nest at 24 to 27 C and the arena at 25 to 29 C, with nest humidity at 70 to 85% and arena humidity at 60 to 75%. Apply heat to one side to give the colony a warm-to-cool gradient to choose from, and keep the nest air reliably damp. It is tropical with no hibernation, so keep it warm and fed throughout the year with no seasonal cooling to arrange.

Expect the steady, unhurried growth typical of ponerines, the colony adding workers a few at a time and reaching up to 500 workers at maturity. The slow pace is part of the appeal for a keeper who likes to watch a colony develop. Your colony arrives as a queen with workers and brood, packed to travel and ready for a humid founding nest.

• Stictoponera was historically classified within Gnamptogenys, so older sources may list this ant under that genus.
• It is endemic to the warm, humid forests of Sri Lanka, a hotspot island for distinctive ponerine ants.
• Like other ponerines it forages alone, relying on sight and touch rather than mass trail-laying.
• Colonies in this group stay small but the individuals are long-lived, a common ponerine trade-off.

Is Stictoponera coxalis good for beginners?

It is Intermediate, better for someone who has kept one colony before.

Does Stictoponera coxalis need a winter rest?

No, it is tropical and active year-round.

Does this Sri Lankan ponerine sting or bite?

Yes, with a mild sting.

What colony size can I expect?

Up to 500 workers.

How large is the queen?

About 6-8 mm, with 5-6 mm workers.

How fast does a ponerine colony like this grow?

Slow and steady, the usual ponerine rate.

What does it eat?

Mostly insects like crickets and flies, plus sugar water, nectar or jelly; seeds are not taken.

Will the ants arrive alive?

Yes, with a heat or cool pack, dispatched within 24 h and shipped with tracking.

Escape prevention. Coat the inner rim of every open arena with fluon (PTFE), or use talc-and-water or an oil barrier as a backup, and keep a tight, fine-mesh lid on top. Check the barrier regularly, since dust, condensation and feeding debris break a fluon line over time. Keep tubing connectors tight and seal any gaps in the nest.

Keeping reminders. Always offer fresh water and never let the nest dry out completely. Give carbohydrates continuously and protein a few times a week, and remove uneaten insect prey within 24 hours before it moulds. Keep the formicarium out of direct sunlight and away from constant vibration, which stresses a young colony. A water-filled test tube plugged with cotton makes an ideal spare incubator whenever you need one.

Before you buy – do not rehouse too early. Have a test-tube setup or a small formicarium with an outworld and a working barrier ready before your colony arrives. A founding colony grows slowly at first, which is normal. Moving a small colony into a large nest too soon invites mould, mites and stress, and the workers die off one by one. Keep the colony in its open test tube on the arena, plug the nest entrance with cotton, and open up the next chambers only once the colony fills roughly 10-15% of the space.

What we ship. Every colony ships with a live-arrival guarantee, backed by our 24h unboxing-video guarantee: if the queen does not arrive alive, we reship free. Parcels travel with DHL, InPost (PL) or EMS, with a heat or cold pack to suit the season, packed discreetly and securely. We ship across the EU and worldwide, with free shipping over the Europe threshold.