The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis. Although the red imported fire ant is native to South America, it has become a pest in the southern United States, Australia, the Caribbean, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, and Macau. RIFAs are known to give a painful, persistently irritating sting that often leaves a pustule on the skin.