Solenopsis invicta

The red imported fire ant, also known as the fire ant or RIFA, is a species of ant native to South America. A member of the genus ''Solenopsis'' in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it was described by Swiss entomologist Felix Santschi as a variant in 1916. Its current name ''invicta'' was given to the ant in 1972 as a separate species.