A worldwide invader, 2 mm long, dark brown or black in color. It probably reached the United States by ship from Argentina in the 1980s, now spreading up the California coast. A nuisance in kitchens, it also displaces native ants in California and elsewhere. According to a new study, the ant is replacing larger, native ants eaten by the horned lizard, a native species that's on the decline.

 

Tip of the iceberg: The more destructive fire ant has yet to reach California in large numbers. Fire ants are highly destructive to all sorts of small critters in the Southeast, not to mention Homo sapien var. picnicus.

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