Anoplolepis gracilipes
Taxonomy
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Specific Epithetgracilipes Smith, 1857
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Common Name
- Long-legged Ant (English)
- Yellow Crazy Ant (English)
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ResidentialInvasive
Description
The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) or also known as the long-legged ant is a species of ant which is believed to have originated in West Africa. This non-native species is one of the biggest invasive ant species ranging between 1 and 2 cm in size. It is called "crazy" because of its erratic movements when disturbed. It can easily be recognised by its long legs and extremely long antennal scapes, distinct yellowish colour and more compact petiole compared to Oecophylla smaragdina which also known as the weaver ant or kerengga (Nur-Zati & Ong, 2017).
This species is known to be ready invaders of disturbed habitats such as urban areas, forest edges or agricultural fields. It is easily adapted to and becomes dominant in new habitats due to its traits, such as aggression towards other ant species, efficient recruitment, and large colony size. In Malaysia, even though A. gracilipes has established colonies in urban areas and some disturbed forests, it has yet to invade our natural forest. It is believed that this ant species has not been able to invade our natural forest because it prefers hot and exposed areas unlike the closed, wet and humid environment of our natural forest (Nur-Zati & Ong, 2017).
Relationship
Location
- Johore 1
- Negeri Sembilan 1
- Pahang 1
Biodiversity Experts
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Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Salleh (Mr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Insects,
Medical, Entomology & Parasitology
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Aishah Hani Azil (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Insects, Mosquitoes,
Biodiversity, Medical & Science
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Amal Ghazali Nasron (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
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Mammals, Insects,
Biodiversity, Conservation & Forest
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Azidah Abdul Aziz (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Insects (Taxonomy),
Biodiversity
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Insects,
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Bakhtiar Effendi Yahya (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
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Insects (Taxonomy),
Taxonomy
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Chey Vun Khen (Dr.)
Sabah Forestry Department
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Insects,
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Insects,
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Fatimah Abang (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
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Insects, Butterflies and Moths,
Biodiversity & Marine & Coastal
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Heo Chong Chin (Dr.)
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
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Insects,
Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Medical & Science
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Homathevi Rahman (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
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Insects, Dragonflies and Damselflies,
Protected Areas
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Idris Bin Abd. Ghani (Prof.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Insects,
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Khaironizam Md Zain (Dr.)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
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Fishes, Insects,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems & Science
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Liew Thor Seng (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
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Insects, Molluscs,
Biodiversity, Data Analysis, Conservation, Ecosystems, Evolution & Genetics
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Maryati Mohamed (Prof. Datin Dr.)
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM)
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Insects,
Biodiversity & Conservation
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Mohd Masri Bin Saranum (Mr.)
Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)
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Butterflies and Moths, Flies (Ecology), Insects,
Agriculture, Biodiversity, Biological Resource, Biosecurity, Ecosystems, Entomology, Invasive Alien Species, Microorganism, Pest & Research and Development (R&D)
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Mohd Sofian Azirun (Prof. Dato' Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Insects (Ecology),
Biodiversity & Science
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Nada Badruddin (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Insects (Ecology),
Protected Areas
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Nivaarani Arumugam (Ms.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
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Insects,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems & Forest
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Noor Azrizal Bin Abdul Wahid (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Insects,
Molecular, Systematics, Evolution, Parasitology & Entomology
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Norela Sulaiman (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Insects (Taxonomy),
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Nur Zati Akma Mustafa (Mrs.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Insects (Ecology),
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Nurul Ashikin Abdullah (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Insects, Ants,
Biodiversity
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Ong Su Ping (Ms.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Insects (Ecology),
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Phon Chooi Khim (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Insects (Ecology),
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Raja Muhammad Zuha (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Insects,
Biodiversity, Education, Taxonomy & Science
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Rosli Hashim (Prof. Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Birds (Ecology), Mammals (Ecology), Spiders, Insects,
Biodiversity & Protected Areas
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Insects,
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Shawn Cheng (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Insects,
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Suhaila Abd Hamid (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
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Insects, Insects (Taxonomy), Insects (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems & Water
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Sze Huei Yek (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
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Ants, Insects, Mosquitoes,
Biodiversity, Ecology, Entomology & Evolution
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Tan Li Peng (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
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Arachnids, Insects,
Agriculture, Biodiversity & Forest
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Veronica Khoo Swee Imm (Ms.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Insects (Taxonomy),
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Wahizatul Afzan Azmi (Assoc. Prof.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
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Insects (Ecology),
Biodiversity
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Wee Suk Ling (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Insects (Ecology),
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References
- Aziz, S.A., McConkey, K.R., Tanalgo, K, Sritongchuay, T., Low, M.R., Ong, J.Y., Mildenstein, TL, Nuevo-Diego, CE, Lim, V.C. & Racey, P.A. (2021). The Critical Importance of Old World Fruit Bats for Healthy Ecosystems and Economies. Front. Ecol. Evol. 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.641411 — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Noor Izwan, A. & Ahmad, A. (2015). Estimating Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Diversity of Tasek Bera Ramsar Site, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Wildlife and Parks 30, 1-13
- O'Dowd, D. (1999). Crazy and Attack. Wingspan 9 (2), 7
- 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species A selection from the Global Invasive Species Database, 2000. The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Kementerian Sumber Asli, Alam Sekitar dan Perubahan Iklim. (2023). Biodiversiti di Malaysia, 2023. — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Hazebroek, H.P., Adlin, T.Z. & Sinun, W. (2011). Danum Valley: The Rain Forest. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Malaysia. pp. 615.
- Mohamed, M., David, M.C & Fadhil, A.R (2017). Insects Of Gunung Ledang, Johor, Malaysia. Penerbit UTHM.
- Malayan Nature Journal, Volume 73, Issue 3, p. 419, 2021
Acknowledgements :- Ms. Ajla Rafidah Baharom, Mrs. Aziemah Binti Kinan, Ms. Farhah Zahirah Binti Zuhaimi, Mrs. Nur Hazwanie Binti Abd Halim, Mrs. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas, Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Yasser Mohamed Arifin
Photo credit :- Ong Su Ping
Species Citation :- Anoplolepis gracilipes. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/53911. [Retrieved 25 April 2024].
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