The head and thorax are reddish orange, the abdomen and legs are brownish black.
Nests are large mounds in wooded areas or in suburban turfgrass. Several mounds may be connected by tunnels that may extend into the ground and upward in the mound. Vegetation, including small trees and shrubs, is killed up to about 50 feet from the mound.
Colony. Allegheny mound ant colonies have multiple queens.
Habits. When a nest is disturbed, workers swarm out in large numbers and will aggressively bite.