''Tetramorium caespitum'', also known as the red pavement ant, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of Myrmicine ant native to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, and

western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

, but now found on many other continents as a tramp species.

Etymology

The species is commonly known as the "pavement ant because workers are commonly found in pavements or roads, usually searching for food. There are also some ''Tetramorium'' species found in North America, although scientists are unsure whether or not ''T. caespitum'' is the species found, so they are often called ''Tetramorium sp. e''.

References

caespitum Insects described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Myrmicinae-stub