Small workers may be only a few millimetres long, while major soldiers can exceed 15 mm.
Fine-art photographic collection
Carebara diversa
A mass-recruiting ant with tiny workers and enormous soldiers in the same colony.
About this species
Carebara diversa(Jerdon, 1851)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Carebara diversa is a highly polymorphic ant of tropical Asia. Small workers form dense foraging columns while disproportionately large soldiers defend routes and process large food items.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Carebara
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
South and Southeast AsiaBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
South Asia through mainland and island Southeast Asia.
Tropical forest, plantations, grassland, gardens and disturbed ground.
Columns can forage by day or night, often beneath cover or through soil cracks.
Broadly omnivorous, taking arthropods, carrion, seeds and sugary material.
Very large underground colonies contain huge numbers of small workers and several grades of soldiers.
What makes this species remarkable?
The largest soldiers can be many times heavier than the smallest workers.
Workers can form covered soil galleries that protect traffic from heat and predators.
The species can mobilise thousands of workers rapidly around rich food.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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