Red ants or fire ants (Solenopsis) are a genus of stinging ants, with more than 280 species worldwide. Not all of them are red (for example, the black ant, Solenopsis richteri). There are also some unrelated ants that also bear this common name (e.g., Myrmica rubra and Pogonomyrmex barbatus). Similarly, the common name fire ants applies only to some species with a powerful and painful sting, not to all species of this genus.