Carebara elmenteitae

Known only from a single phragmotic major worker collected from sifted leaf-litter near Lake Elmenteita in Kenya. Carebara elmenteitae is one of a small number of species in the diverse genus Carebara that is known to have phragmatic workers.

Identification
A member of the Carebara phragmotica clade.

Fisher et al. (2015) - Phragmotic worker (minor and major worker unknown): Head with strongly defined oval cephalic shield, anterolaterally with lobes covering antennae when in repose, mandibles small, clypeus with straight anterior margin and median carina, and anterolateral clypeal lobes either absent or hidden under cephalic shield lobes. Dorsal face of cephalic shield concave, with irregular rugulae or shallow ridges.

From the drawings phragmotic workers of Carebara elmenteitae can be easily differentiated from those of the Carebara lilith and Carebara phragmotica because of the sculpture inside the cephalic shield: Carebara elmenteitae with irregular rugulae or shallow ridges, Carebara lilith punctate and with cone-shaped, gland-like structures present, and Carebara phragmotica with two subparallel, conspicuously elevated ridges in center of cephalic shield (see also C. lilith and C. phragmotica diagnoses and discussions).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Kenya.

Nomenclature

 *  elmenteitae. Solenopsis (Crateropsis) elmenteitae Patrizi, 1948: 176, figs. 1, 2 (s.) KENYA. Combination in Oligomyrmex: Ettershank, 1966: 123; in Carebara: Fernández, 2004a: 235.

Type Material
Fisher et al. (2015) - KENYA. Holotype (IEGG) (Lake) Elmenteita, 20.xii.1945 (Patrizi) [not examined].