The key identifying feature is a pyramid-shaped projection on top of the thorax. These ants are red-black or dark brown. They build nests in open, sunny areas. These mounds are usually located near the nests of other ants, particularly harvester ants. The colonies also can be found under decorative rocks and logs.
Workers move quickly and forage in trails.
They feed on other insects and are fond of the honeydew that aphids and scales produce. It nests in soil under rocks, logs or debris. It also builds nests in open areas of soil in lawns. The nests in the ground are small craters of very fine soil. These ants' colonies also are found under the bark of trees, in debris trapped in the crotches of trees, in wood damaged by termites, in firewood piles and in stacks of bricks and stones.