Key to Carebara of India

These keys to the minor workers, major workers and queens is based on: Bharti, H. & Kumar, R. 2013. Six new species of Carebara Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with restructuring of world species groups and a key to Indian species. J. Entomol. Res. Soc. 15(1):47-67.

Five Carebara species from India were described and are known only from the queen, or queen and male, caste: Carebara bengalensis (Forel, 1902), Carebara lamellifrons (Forel, 1902), Carebara leei (Forel, 1902), Carebara raja (Forel, 1902), and Carebara rothneyi (Forel, 1902).

There are keys to: Minor Workers. . . Major Workers. . . Queens

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 * Carebara
 * Ants of India

Minor Workers
Carebara similis is excluded from this key

1

 * Antenna 11- segmented . . . . . Carebara carinata


 * Antenna 9-10 segmented . . . . . 2

2
return to couplet #1
 * Eyes absent . . . . . 3


 * Eyes present . . . . . 4

3
return to couplet #2
 * TL 2.5 mm; articulation of the femora and tibiae of the legs with a brown ring . . . . . Carebara lignata


 * TL 1mm; articulation of the femora and tibiae of the legs without brown ring . . . . . Carebara asina

4
return to couplet #2
 * Eyes with 2 ommatidia, clypeus without lateral carinae . . . . . Carebara aborensis


 * Eyes absent or with single ommatidium; clypeus with lateral carinae . . . . . 5

5
return to couplet #4
 * Propodeal spines present . . . . . Carebara spinata


 * Propodeum rounded or obtusely angled, not dentate . . . . . 6

6
return to couplet #5
 * Head reticulate or densely fovulate punctured; propodeal lobes large and broad with rounded posterior margin; mandibles with 4 teeth . . . . . Carebara propomegata


 * Head smooth or rugulose; propodeal lobes small, narrow or absent; mandibles with 5 acute teeth . . . . . 7

7
return to couplet #6
 * Head opaque with front and sides of striate, antenna 10 segmented . . . . . Carebara wroughtonii


 * Head smooth and shiny, antenna 9 segmented . . . . . 8

8
return to couplet #7
 * Eyes situated at a distance of 0.08 mm from mandibular insertions into head; EI 6.25-7.41, SI 75-77.78 . . . . . Carebara dentata


 * Eyes situated at more than distance of 0.08 mm from mandible insertion into head; EI ≤ 4, SI ≤ 72 . . . . . 9

9
return to couplet #8
 * Eyes elongate, not rounded, sides of head comparatively weakly convex; EI 3.12, SI 71.88 . . . . . Carebara hornata


 * Eyes rounded, sides of head comparatively strongly convex; EI 3.13-3.33, SI 68.75-70 . . . . . Carebara rectangulata

1-ma

 * Antenna 11-segmented . . . . . Carebara nayana


 * Antenna 9-segmented . . . . . 2-ma

2-ma
return to couplet #1-ma
 * Eyes with numerous ommatidia; base of first gastral tergite finely reticulate with traces of fine longitudinal rugae . . . . . Carebara aborensis


 * Eyes minute and with a single ommatidium; first gastral tergite smooth and shinning . . . . . 3-ma

3-ma
return to couplet #2-ma
 * Occiput without a pair of distinct horns or minute teeth . . . . . Carebara rectangulata


 * Occiput with a pair of distinct horns or minute teeth . . . . . 4-ma

4-ma
return to couplet #3-ma
 * Occipital corners protruding into a pair of well developed acute horns or spines . . . . . 5-ma


 * Occiput with a pair of small minute horns or teeth in lateral view . . . . . 6-ma

5-ma
return to couplet #4-ma
 * Head rectangular with straight parallel sides, punctured only at the base of hairs and finely longitudinally rugulose anteriorly; occiput and vertex smooth and shinning . . . . . Carebara hornata


 * Head with convex sides, sparsely punctured and anteriorly obscurely longitudinally striate; occiput and vertex wrinkled . . . . . Carebara asina

6-ma
return to couplet #4-ma
 * Propodeum with posterodorsal corners bluntly angled; dorsal mesosoma smooth and shinning . . . . . Carebara dentata


 * Propodeum with short, triangular spines; mesosoma densely foveolate -punctured . . . . . Carebara spinata

1-q

 * Antenna 10-11 segmented . . . . . 2-q


 * Antenna 9 segmented . . . . . 3-q

2-q
return to couplet #1
 * Antenna 10 segmented, more than 10 mm . . . . . Carebara lignata


 * Antenna 11 segmented, less than 4.5-4.6 mm . . . . . Carebara lamellifrons

3-q
return to couplet #1-q
 * Length > 5mm, colour more or less brown . . . . . 4-q


 * Length < 5mm, colour more or less yellow . . . . . 6-q

4-q
return to couplet #3-q
 * Clypeus feebly but distinctly bicarinate . . . . . Carebara bengalensis


 * Clypeus not carinate . . . . . 5-q

5-q
return to couplet #4-q
 * Anterior border of clypeus emarginated in the middle; body 5-5.5 mm longer . . . . . Carebara raja


 * Anterior border of clypeus not emarginated, body 7-8 mm longer . . . . . Carebara leei

6-q
return to couplet #3-q
 * Postpetiole transverse, much broader than long . . . . . Carebara asina


 * Postpetiole not broader than long . . . . . Carebara rothneyi