Worker size varies enormously, from minute minors to soldiers many times heavier.
Fine-art photographic collection
Carebara castanea
A hidden Asian society spanning tiny workers and enormous soldiers.
About this species
Chestnut marauder ant
Carebara castanea(Smith, 1858)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Carebara castanea is a Southeast Asian ant with extreme worker polymorphism. Small workers perform routine colony tasks, while much larger soldiers provide transport, food processing and defence in a society largely concealed in soil and leaf litter.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Myrmicinae · Carebara
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
South and Southeast AsiaBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
South and Southeast Asia, including Thailand and neighbouring regions.
Tropical forest floor, soil, leaf litter and humid disturbed habitats.
Foraging is often concealed beneath litter or occurs in dense columns when rich food is encountered.
Opportunistic animal food, carrion, small invertebrates and sugary resources.
Large subterranean colonies with extreme size variation among workers.
What makes this species remarkable?
A major worker can outweigh a minor by orders of magnitude.
The smallest workers can pass through spaces inaccessible to the soldiers.
Most of the colony remains hidden below ground even when a foraging column is visible.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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