Carebara thorali

Introduction

Carebara thorali is an extinct ant species known only from a single male specimen preserved in Late Oligocene gypsum deposits from what is now southern France. The fossil dates to approximately 23-27.8 million years ago during the Chattian stage. This species was originally described as Erebomyrma thorali by Théobald in 1937 before being reclassified to the genus Carebara. The specimen measures 6mm in total body length and shows typical Myrmicinae features including a two-segmented petiole and characteristic wing venation . Based on related extant Carebara species, this ant would have been a small, ground-nesting species that lived in warm, likely subtropical environments in what is now France during the Oligocene period.