Carebara vidua
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Carebara vidua is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. The species is native to East Africa and is particularly associated with the Lake Victoria region of Kenya. It is traditionally consumed as food and used in ethnomedicine among some local communities. Due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation, it has been described as locally endangered.
Adult female Carebara vidua are relatively large ants, measuring approximately 20–25 mm in length, with a shiny black body and a conspicuously enlarged, rounded abdomen. Females are winged during the reproductive phase. Males are smaller, approximately 10 mm long, winged, and have a paler abdomen. Worker ants are much smaller, typically 3–5 mm in length, wingless, and possess a functional sting. Like other hymenopterans, the species has chewing mouthparts, compound eyes, three ocelli, and segmented antennae.
Carebara vidua occurs in the Lake Victoria basin of western Kenya, including Kisumu and Siaya counties. The species constructs extensive subterranean colonies consisting of interconnected chambers and galleries, often located under soil, rocks, or human structures. Colonies are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Thief Ant sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 195th most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Thief Ant in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Thief Ant sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Pretoria, in our data
Pretoria is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate African Thief Ant sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Formicidae
The closest relatives of the African Thief Ant that you can see in Pretoria (family Formicidae, Ants) are Natal Droptail Ant (about 10%), Large Pugnacious Ant (about 10%) and Small Spiny Sugar Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Thief Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
