Carebara vidua

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Eritrea, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

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.

Nomenclature

 * . 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 in 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).
 * [Note: type-locality data from Gerstäcker, 1862: 512.]
 * Type-depository: MNHU.
 * [Also described as new by Gerstäcker, 1862: 512.]
 * 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.
 * Type-locality: South Africa: Port Natal (= Durban) (no collector’s name).
 * Type-depository: BMNH.
 * 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.

Carebara dux

One queen, may be holotype or a syntype but not proved, in.

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