Carebara affinis
Supermajor and minor workers. Rossville, Queensland, Australia
Minor workers run in an underground foraging column. Mungkan Kandju National Park, Queensland, Australia
Carebara affinis marauder ants have one of the largest size disparities between the largest and smallest worker ants in a colony. Here a supermajor uses her massive jaws to cut through tree bark while minor workers stand by. The ants have discovered beetle larvae- a favored prey item- underneath the bark. Rossville, Queensland, Australia
Carebara affinis, supermajor and minor workers. Rossville, Queensland, Australia
Worker polymorphism in the marauder ant Carebara affinis. Pictured here is a single supermajor worker, two major workers, and full complement of minor workers. These insects are all sisters and are essentially genetically identical, their different morphologies a result of developmental plasticity. Rossville, Queensland, Australia
Carebara affinis, supermajor and minor workers. Carebara has one of the most pronounced size differences among nestmate workers of any ant. Rossville, Queensland, Australia
Supermajor and minor workers attacking a beetle grub. Supermajors have powerful mandibles useful for cutting up and carrying large prey items. The supermajor pictured here was able to single-handedly drag this very large beetle larva across the substrate while I photographed them. Rossville, Queensland, Australia
Carebara brevipilosa
Carebara brevipilosa Unión Toachi, Pichincha, Ecuador
Carebara longii
The only member of the circumtropical genus Carebara in the United States is Carebara longii, a subterranean ant recorded from several locations in Texas and one of the most rarely-encountered species on the continent. Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Austin, Texas, USA.
The only member of the circumtropical genus Carebara found in the United States is Carebara longii, a subterranean ant known only from Texas and one of the most rarely-encountered species on the continent. Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Austin, Texas, USA.
