Carebara vidua

Carebara vidua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Carebara
Species:	C. vidua
Binomial name
Carebara vidua Smith, F., 1858 Specimen Label
Subspecies
Carebara vidua fur Santschi, 1928
Synonyms
Carebara colossus Gerstäcker, 1859 Carebara dux Smith, F., 1858 Carebara vidua abdominalis Santschi, 1912

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 15.766667° to -30.2°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Eritrea, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa (type locality), Zimbabwe.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Robertson & Villet (1989) documented independent colony foundation in Carebara vidua.

An average of 1672 ovarioles in the queen ovaries indicates an extreme level of fecundity (Robertson 1995). Queens mate with several males.

Castes

Copulation in Carebara vidua, showing the striking sexual dimorphism. From Mkuze, South Africa. Photo by Christian Peeters

Images from AntWeb

Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0101463. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MNHN, Paris, France.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• vidua. Carebara vidua Smith, F. 1858b: 179 (m.) SOUTH AFRICA.
  • Type-material: holotype male.
  • Type-locality: South Africa: Port Natal (= Durban) (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Mayr, 1866b: 904 (q.); Forel, 1901g: 392 (w.).
  • Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 402; Roger, 1863b: 32; Mayr, 1866b: 904; Emery, 1877b: 377; Dalla Torre, 1893: 74; Mayr, 1895: 144; Emery, 1899a: 500; Forel, 1901g: 392; Forel, 1904h: 13; Forel, 1910f: 12; Emery, 1912c: 2; Santschi, 1913c: 307; Forel, 1913b: 337; Santschi, 1914b: 84; Santschi, 1914d: 363 (in key); Arnold, 1916: 249; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 172 (in key), 884; Emery, 1924d: 220; Menozzi, 1930b: 109; Menozzi, 1933a: 104; Finzi, 1939a: 165; Ettershank, 1966: 127; Robertson & Villet, 1989: 121; Bolton, 1995b: 133; Hita Garcia, et al. 2013: 209; Madl, 2019: 14.
  • Senior synonym of abdominalis: Forel, 1913b: 337; Arnold, 1916: 252; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 884; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
  • Senior synonym of colossus: Mayr, 1866b: 904; Emery, 1877b: 378; Dalla Torre, 1893: 74; Santschi, 1913c: 306; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 884; Emery, 1924d: 220; Menozzi, 1930b: 109; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
  • Senior synonym of dux: Mayr, 1866b: 904; Emery, 1877b: 377; Dalla Torre, 1893: 74; Santschi, 1913c: 306; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 884; Emery, 1924d: 220; Menozzi, 1930b: 109; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
  • Distribution: Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
  • Current subspecies: nominal plus fur.
• abdominalis. Carebara vidua var. abdominalis Santschi, 1912d: 285 (q.) KENYA.
  • Type-material: holotype (?) queen.
  • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
  • Type-locality: Kenya (“Afrique orientale anglaise”): (no further data) (Ch. Alluaud).
  • Type-depository: NHMB.
  • [Note: Santschi says specimen(s) received from Paris Museum, so perhaps also MNHN.]
  • Subspecies of vidua: Santschi, 1914b: 84; Emery, 1924d: 220.
  • Junior synonym of vidua: Forel, 1913b: 337; Arnold, 1916: 252; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 884; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
• colossus. Carebara colossus Gerstäcker, 1859: 263 (q.) (no state data).
  • Type-material: holotype queen.
  • Type-locality: Mozambique: Tette (W.C.H. Peters).
  • Type-depository: MNHU.
  • [Also described as new by Gerstäcker, 1862: 512; type-locality from this reference.]
  • Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 402; Roger, 1863b: 32.
  • Junior synonym of vidua: Mayr, 1866b: 904; Emery, 1877b: 378; Dalla Torre, 1893: 74; Santschi, 1913c: 306; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 884; Emery, 1924d: 220; Menozzi, 1930b: 109; Bolton, 1995b: 133.
• dux. Carebara dux Smith, F. 1858b: 179 (q.) SOUTH AFRICA.
  • Type-material: holotype queen.
  • [Note: 1q OXUM, may be holotype or a syntype but not proved (Bolton (unpublished notes) 1978).]
  • Type-locality: South Africa: Port Natal (= Durban) (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: unknown (may be BMNH or OXUM).
  • Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 402; Roger, 1863b: 32.
  • Subspecies of vidua: Forel, 1909b: 53; Forel, 1913b: 337.
  • Junior synonym of vidua: Mayr, 1866b: 904; Emery, 1877b: 377; Dalla Torre, 1893: 74; Santschi, 1913c: 306; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 884; Emery, 1924d: 220; Menozzi, 1930b: 109; Bolton, 1995b: 133.

The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):

Carebara dux

One queen, may be holotype or a syntype but not proved, in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

References

• Arnold, G. 1916. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part II. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 159-270 (page 249, see also)

• Arnold, G. 1916. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part II. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 159-270 (page 252, Senior synonym of abdominalis)

• Babarinde, S.A., Mvumi, B.M., Babarinde, G.O., Manditsera, F.A., Akande, T.O., Adepoju, A.A. 2020. Insects in food and feed systems in sub-Saharan Africa: the untapped potentials. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. (doi:10.1007/s42690-020-00305-6).
• Baer, B. 2011. The copulation biology of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 14: 55-68.
• Cantone S. 2017. Winged Ants, The Male, Dichotomous key to genera of winged male ants in the World, Behavioral ecology of mating flight (self-published).
• Ellison, A.M., Gotelli, N.J. 2021. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and humans: from inspiration and metaphor to 21st-century symbiont. Myrmecological News 31: 225-240 (doi:10.25849/MYRMECOL.NEWS_031:225).
• Forel, A. 1901l. Fourmis termitophages, Lestobiose, Atta tardigrada, sous-genres d'Euponera. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 45: 389-398 (page 392, worker described)

• Forel, A. 1913b. Formicides du Congo Belge récoltés par MM. Bequaert, Luja, etc. Rev. Zool. Afr. (Bruss.) 2: 306-351 (page 337, Senior synonym of abdominalis)

• Lepage, M. & Darlington JPEC 1984. Observations on the ant Carebara vidua preying on termites in Kenya. J. Natural History 18:293-302

• Mayr, G. 1866b. Diagnosen neuer und wenig gekannter Formiciden. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 16: 885-908 (page 904, queen described)

• Mayr, G. 1866b. Diagnosen neuer und wenig gekannter Formiciden. Verh. K-K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 16: 885-908 (page 904, Senior synonym of colossus and dux)

• Nsengimana, V., Hagenimana, T., Barakagwira, J., de Dieu Nsenganeza, J., Iradukunda, S. C., Majyambere, M., Kizungu, O. B., Nkundimana, A., Umutoni, D., Fabrice, R., Cyubahiro, B., Kouakou, L. M., Kolo, Y., Anale, J. S., Gómez, K., Dekoninck, W. 2023. Checklist of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species from Nyungwe Tropical Rain Forest, south-western Rwanda. Journal of East African Natural History 111(2), 69-81 (doi:10.2982/028.111.0203).
• Robertson, H. G. & Villet, M. H. 1989. Colony founding in the ant Carebara vidua: the dispelling of a myth. South African Journal of Science 85:121-122.

• Robertson, H. G. 1995. Sperm transfer in the ant Carebara vidua. Insectes Sociaux 42: 411-418.

• Santschi, F. 1913c. Glanures de fourmis africaines. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 57: 302-314 (page 307, Senior synonym of colossus and dux)

• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 179, male described)

• Wheeler, W. M. 1922j. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 711-1004 (page 884, Senior synonym of abdominalis)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Arnold G. 1916. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part II. Ponerinae, Dorylinae. Annals of the South African Museum. 14: 159-270.
• Emery, C.. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte prima. Formiche provenienti dal Viaggio dei signori Antinori, Beccari e Issel nel Mar Rosso e nel paese dei Bogos. [concl.]." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale 9 (1877): 363-381.
• Finzi B. 1939. Materiali zoologici dell'Eritrea raccolti da G. Müller durante la spedizione dell'Istituto Sieroterapico Milanese e conservati al Museo di Trieste. Parte III. Hymenoptera: Formicidae. Atti del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Trieste 14: 153-168.
• Forel A. 1910. Zoologische und anthropologische Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise im westlichen und zentralen Südafrika ausgeführt in den Jahren 1903-1905 von Dr. Leonhard Schultze. Vierter Band. Systematik und Tiergeographie. D) Formicidae. Denkschriften der Medizinisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft zu Jena 16: 1-30.
• Forel A. 1913. Formicides du Congo Belge récoltés par MM. Bequaert, Luja, etc. Revue Zoologique Africaine (Brussels). 2: 306-351.
• IZIKO South Africa Museum Collection
• Madl M. 2019. Notes on the ant fauna of Eritrea (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae): type specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum Vienna (Austria) and a preliminary checklist. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B 121: 9-18.
• Menozzi C. 1930. Formiche della Somalia italiana meridionale. Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana. 9: 76-130.
• Menozzi C. 1932. Raccolte mirmecologiche dell'Africa orientale conservate nel Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria di Genova. Parte II. Formiche dell'Uganda e delle isole Sesse raccolte dal Dr. E. Bayon. [part]. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria. 56: 93-112.
• Robertson H. G. 1995. Sperm transfer in the ant Carebara vidua F. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux. 42: 411-418.
• Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. II. The ants collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 39-269.
• Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VIII. A synonymic list of the ants of the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 711-1004