| Carebara diversa | |
|---|---|
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| Carebara diversa attacking a mealworm | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Genus: | Carebara |
| Species: | C. diversa |
| Binomial name | |
| Carebara diversa (Jerdon, 1851) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Carebara diversa [2] is a species of marauder ant widely distributed throughout Asia. [1] [3] [4]
Carebara diversa is a eusocial insect and individuals have continuous allometric variation in size and morphology to facilitate task allocation and partitioning of work. Minor workers are between 1.3 and 2.5 mm in length, but major workers are much larger. Between the smallest minor and largest major workers there are many intermediate forms. The largest workers can have heads approximately 12 times as large as those of their smallest counterparts. The dry weight of a large major worker can be approximately 550 times as heavy of that of its smallest counterpart. These size-related morphological differences correspond with their division of labor. For example, small, young, minor workers specialize in caring for the larvae but extend their activities as they grow older. [1]
Minor workers have yellowish brown to reddish brown bodies. Their mandibles each have five "teeth" and their antennal scapes are short and do not exceed the posterior margin of the head. Minor workers have rectangular heads with weakly convex posterior margins in full face view [1]
Major workers have reddish brown to blackish brown bodies. Their heads are proportionately larger and almost square with convex posterior margin in frontal view. Mandibles of major workers are large and triangular, with an acute apical "tooth". Their masticatory margins lack distinct "teeth". Their eyes are relatively small and their antennal scapes are half as long as their heads. [1]
Carebara diversa forms large colonies which are often found in soil or under rocks. This species preys on small animals such as insects and also collects nectivorous materials. These ants regularly form long columns for foraging and sometimes roof these trails with arcades constructed of soil particles. [1] They use pheromone trails to maintain these lines and if these trails are obstructed it causes chaos and crowding. One study showed that 94% of individuals failed to cross an obstacle in the foraging path and that eventually the column creates a detour around such obstructions. [5] The minors of this species are often observed to be 'hitching a ride' on the large majors so as to save energy while moving along the trail.
Due to their raids, Carebara species are often compared to army ants, but there are some important differences:
Carebara species have been described as very aggressive when hunting or defending their nest, but there are contradictory reports about how they react to other ant species: Generally, Carebara species are said to avoid fights with other ant species (a keeper has reported he almost lost his colony to a Lasius niger invasion and watched Carebara evading smaller Pheidole pieli, but a keeper who intentionally kept C. diversa with a Crematogaster species in the same terrarium reported that Carebara workers had attacked and killed Crematogaster workers. Carebara supermajor castes can tear off human skin and can rip out flesh. [ citation needed ]
Carebara diversa is widely distributed from India through Southeast Asia to Taiwan and the Philippines. [1] [4] Field records of it occurring in Japan are limited although it has been found on two very southern points: Okinawa Island and on Chicchi-jima Island. Specimens taken at the Camp Zama U.S. Air Force base in Kanagawa Prefecture are believed to have originated from commercial introduction from Southeast Asia. [1]
Regarded as "pseudo-army-ants", Carebara diversa and Carebara affinis are popular pets, but they are said to be very sensitive and difficult to keep; even some experienced antkeepers have lost their colonies just after a few months. One antkeeper who goes by the YouTube name AntsCanada (real name Mikey Bustos), however, has managed to successfully keep a thriving colony of this species, among the other colonies of ants in his collection. [6]
It seems not possible to keep real army ants in a formicarium (ant farm) for a longer time because of their nomadic lifestyle, the continuous growth of the colony, and the immense need of food (some army-ant species are also highly selective when it comes to food). In trials performed by zoos and museums, the army-ant colonies died within weeks or months.
The Formicinae are a subfamily within the Formicidae containing ants of moderate evolutionary development.
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and in soil, rotting wood, under stones, or in trees.
Pogonomyrmex is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North, Central, and South America, with a single endemic species from Haiti.
Dorylus, also known as driver ants, safari ants, or siafu, is a large genus of army ants found primarily in central and east Africa, although the range also extends to southern Africa and tropical Asia. The term siafu is a loanword from Swahili, and is one of numerous similar words from regional Bantu languages used by indigenous peoples to describe various species of these ants. Unlike the New World members of the former subfamily Ecitoninae, members of this genus form temporary subterranean bivouacs in underground cavities which they excavate and inhabit - either for a few days or up to three months. Also, unlike some New World army ants, driver ants are not specialized predators of other species of ant, instead being more generalistic with a diet consisting of a diversity of arthropods. Their colonies are enormous compared to other ant species, and can contain over 20 million individuals. As with their American counterparts, workers exhibit caste polymorphism with the soldiers having particularly large heads that power their scissor-like mandibles. They are capable of stinging, but very rarely do so, relying instead on their powerful shearing jaws. A large part of their diet consists of earthworms. Driver ant queens are the largest living ants known, with the largest measuring between 40 - 63 millimeters in total body length depending on their physiological condition.
Crematogaster is an ecologically diverse genus of ants found worldwide, which are characterised by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster (abdomen), which gives them one of their common names, the Saint Valentine ant. Members of this genus are also known as cocktail ants because of their habit of raising their abdomens when alarmed. Most species are arboreal (tree-dwelling). These ants are sometimes known as acrobat ants.
Sericomyrmex is a genus of fungus-growing ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.
Leptanilla is a genus of ant in the subfamily Leptanillinae. Like other genera in this subfamily, the queen is fed by the hemolymph of their own larvae, which have specialized processes for this purpose.
Aenictus is a large army ant genus distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics. It contains about 181 species, making it one of the larger ant genera of the world.
Ochetellus glaber is a species of ant native to Australia. A member of the genus Ochetellus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, it was described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. Aside from Australia, O. glaber has been introduced to a number of countries, including China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States, where it has established itself in Hawaii and Florida. It has been found on Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Réunion, New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands. Compared with other ants, O. glaber is a small species, with workers measuring 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in). Males are the smallest at 1.6 mm (0.063 in), while the queens measure 5.2–5.5 mm (0.20–0.22 in). The ant's colour ranges from brown to black.
Trachymyrmex is a genus of fungus-growing ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The genus is mainly tropical in distribution, with most species being found in Central and South America.
Dolichoderus is a genus of ants found worldwide.
Neivamyrmex is a genus of army ants in the subfamily Dorylinae.
Carebara is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is one of the largest myrmicine genera with more than 200 species distributed worldwide in the tropics and the Afrotropical region. Many of them are very tiny cryptic soil and leaf-litter inhabitants. They nest in rotten wood to which the bark is still adherent in the Afrotropical region, or may be lestobiotic nesting near other ant species. Some species are known to exist parasitically within termite nests. Little is known about the biology of the genus, but they are notable for the vast difference in size between queens and workers.
Dorylus gribodoi is a West African species of army ants in the genus Dorylus.
Megaponera analis is the sole species of the genus Megaponera. They are a strictly termite-eating (termitophagous) ponerine ant species widely distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa and most commonly known for their column-like raiding formation when attacking termite feeding sites. Their sophisticated raiding behaviour gave them the common name Matabele ant after the Matabele tribe, fierce warriors who overwhelmed various other tribes during the 1800s. With some individuals reaching up to 25 millimetres (0.98 in) in length, M. analis is one of the world's largest ants.
Meranoplus bicolor, is a species of ant of the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is found in many Asian countries, where its habitats range from open grasslands to open-canopy forests. They nest in soil, usually at the base of plants. The nest opening is a simple hole, but it can sometimes have multiple openings. Workers forage on the ground as well as on plants, where they exploit extrafloral nectaries and tend to aphids.
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