The Asian needle ant, Pachychondyla chinensis, is a ponerine

Ponerinae

Ponerinae is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group, with about 1,600 species in 28 extant genera, including Dinoponera gigantea - one of the world's largest species of ant....

 ant native to areas of Japan and Asia. It is one of only four Pachycondyla

Pachycondyla

Pachycondyla is a diverse group of ponerine ants that are widespread in the world's tropics and subtropics. Most are general predators or scavengers, with some specializing in hunting termites. In some species queens are replaced by fertilised workers...

species found in the United States. Within the United States, it is an adventive

Adventive species

An Adventive species is one that has arrived in the geographical area specified from somewhere else by any means , but is not self-sustaining and whose numbers are only increased through non-reproductive means, unlike a naturalised species.-See also:*Naturalisation *Introduced species*Invasive...

 and possibly invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

. It is documented from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Unpublished records place it in Alabama and Tennessee. The pest species is of growing concern due to ecological impacts on biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 and medical risks to human health, via sting-induced anaphalaxis. It prefers nesting in dark, damp areas in soil beneath stones, logs, stumps, and debris.