Resurrected this 10 year old photo from my unpublished archives, not sure why I ignored it the first time. It's a Carebara queen ant in an underground nest chamber, with brood.

Victoria, Australia.
#Ants #Insects #Soil #Carebara #QueenAnts

OK #ant boffins and #myrmecophiles. One of my #Canberra #Malaise trap records matches (100%) 9 other ants from further west in Canberra and a (private) record from #FrenchPolynesia (PF) identified as #Carebara tahitiensis: https://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_SearchTerms?query=BOLD:AAY6881

Which is more likely?

Carebara tahitiensis in Canberra

Carebara tahitiensis == an AU Carebara species

PF record is misidentified widespread species

No COI difference between two species

Contamination

PF location wrong

#Formicidae #Entomology