# Cardiocondyla

Cardiocondyla is an Old World genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae.

## Distribution

Approximately 70 species are currently recognized as belonging to this genus, most of which are distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics, but a few of which occur in the temperate zone. Some species are also found widely separated in North America and the Pacific Islands, as a result of human introduction.

## Description

Several species of this genus have a striking male polymorphism, with both winged and wingless forms. These males differ not only in morphology, but also in reproductive tactics. Closely related genera are Leptothorax, Stereomyrmex and Romblonella.

## Outbreeding

Cardiocondyla elegans worker ants transport young queen ants to alien nests to promote outbreeding. This allows avoidance of inbreeding depression. The worker ants, sisters of these queens, may transport the queens several meters from their natal nest and drop them off at another, alien nest to promote outbreeding with wingless stationary males in a process somewhat analogous to third party matchmaking in humans. After mating during the winter, the sexual females may depart in the spring and find their own colonies.

## Species

* Cardiocondyla atalanta Forel, 1915
* Cardiocondyla batesii Forel, 1894
* Cardiocondyla bicoronata Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla brachyceps Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla breviscapa Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla britteni Crawley, 1920
* Cardiocondyla bulgarica Forel, 1892
* Cardiocondyla carbonaria Forel, 1907
* Cardiocondyla cristata (Santschi, 1912)
* Cardiocondyla elegans Emery, 1869
* Cardiocondyla emeryi Forel, 1881
* Cardiocondyla fajumensis Forel, 1913
* Cardiocondyla gallagheri Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
* Cardiocondyla gallilaeica Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla gibbosa Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1927
* Cardiocondyla goa Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla humilis (Smith, 1858)
* Cardiocondyla insutura Zhou, 2001
* Cardiocondyla israelica Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla jacquemini Bernard, 1953
* Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi Terayama, 1999
* Cardiocondyla koshewnikovi Ruzsky, 1902
* Cardiocondyla kushanica Pisarski, 1967
* Cardiocondyla littoralis Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla longiceps Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla longinoda Rigato, 2002
* Cardiocondyla luciae Rigato, 2002
* Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel, 1890
* Cardiocondyla melana Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla minutior Forel, 1899
* Cardiocondyla monardi Santschi, 1930
* Cardiocondyla nana Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla neferka Bolton, 1982
* Cardiocondyla nigra Forel, 1905
* Cardiocondyla nigrocerea Karavaiev, 1935
* Cardiocondyla nivalis Mann, 1919
* Cardiocondyla nuda (Mayr, 1866)
* Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, 1929
* Cardiocondyla opaca Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla opistopsis Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla papuana (Reiskind, 1965)
* Cardiocondyla paradoxa Emery, 1897
* Cardiocondyla paranuda Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla parvinoda Forel, 1902
* Cardiocondyla persiana Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla pirata Seifert & Frohschammer, 2013
* Cardiocondyla rugulosa Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla sahlbergi Forel, 1913
* Cardiocondyla sekhemka Bolton, 1982
* Cardiocondyla semirubra Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla shagrinata Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla shuckardi Forel, 1891
* Cardiocondyla sima Wheeler, 1935
* Cardiocondyla stambuloffii Forel, 1892
* Cardiocondyla strigifrons Viehmeyer, 1922
* Cardiocondyla tenuifrons Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla thoracica (Smith, 1859)
* Cardiocondyla tibetana Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla tiwarii Ghosh, Sheela & Kundu, 2005
* Cardiocondyla tjibodana Karavaiev, 1935
* Cardiocondyla ulianini Emery, 1889
* Cardiocondyla unicalis Seifert, 2003
* Cardiocondyla venustula Wheeler, 1908
* Cardiocondyla weserka Bolton, 1982
* Cardiocondyla wheeleri Viehmeyer, 1914
* Cardiocondyla wroughtonii (Forel, 1890)
* Cardiocondyla yemeni Collingwood & Agosti, 1996
* Cardiocondyla yoruba Rigato, 2002
* Cardiocondyla zoserka Bolton, 1982