DOI: 10.13102/sociobiology.v61i3.300-306Sociobiology 61(3): 300-306 (September 2014)

Open access journal: http://periodicos.uefs.br/ojs/index.php/sociobiology
ISSN: 0361-6525

Polygyny, Inbreeding and Wingless Males in the Malagasy Ant Cardiocondyla shuckardi 
Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

J Heinze,1 A Schrempf,1 T Wanke1, H Rakotondrazafy,2 T Rakotondranaivo2,  B Fisher2,3

Introduction

The myrmicine ant genus Cardiocondyla comprises 
about 100 species of minute to small ants that are widely dis-
tributed throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia (Seifert, 2003). 
Colony composition and the reproductive behavior of queens 
and males vary tremendously among species, making Car-
diocondyla an ideal system to investigate the evolution of 
social structures and alternative reproductive tactics in ants. 

Because of its ancestral male diphenism with winged 
disperser males and wingless, “ergatoid” males (Kugler, 
1983), Cardiocondyla has become a model system for the 
investigation of alternative reproductive tactics in male 
ants (e.g., Oettler et al., 2010; Schwander & Leimar, 2011). 
Winged males resemble typical males of other ant species 
in morphology, reproductive physiology, and behavior: they 
are peaceful, disperse shortly after eclosion, and use their 
limited sperm supply to inseminate young queens from oth-
er colonies. Wingless males, in contrast have strong shear- 
or sickle-shaped mandibles, are relatively long-lived (several 

Abstract
The ant genus Cardiocondyla exhibits a fascinating diversity of its reproductive biology, 
with winged and wingless males, long-winged and short-winged queens, strict monogyny 
and facultative polygyny with or without queen fighting. Here we report on the previously 
unstudied Malagasy ant C. shuckardi. We describe the nesting habits, male morphology 
and colony structure of this species. Furthermore, based on the genotypes from three 
microsatellite loci we document a very high incidence of sib-mating. 

Sociobiology
An international journal on social insects

1 - Universität Regensburg, Biologie I, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
2 - Madagascar Biodiversity Center, PBZT Tsimbazaza, 101 Antananarivo, Madagascar.
3 - California Academy of Sciences,  San Francisco, USA.

Article History

Edited by
Gilberto M M Santos, UEFS, Brazil
Received                 30 January 2014
Initial acceptance  05 April 2014
Final acceptance    08 July 2014

Keywords
inbreeding, reproductive tactics,
ergatoid males, colony structure,
Madagascar.

Corresponding author:
Jürgen Heinze
Universität Regensburg, Biologie I, 
93040, Regensburg, Germany
E-Mail: juergen.heinze@ur.de

weeks to one year, Yamauchi et al., 2006) and, uniquely 
among social Hymenoptera, have lifelong spermatogene-
sis (Heinze & Hölldobler, 1993). Wingless males rarely if 
ever disperse, and in many species engage in lethal fighting 
with rivals and attempt to monopolize mating with all female 
sexuals emerging from their natal nests (Stuart et al., 1987; 
Kinomura & Yamauchi, 1987; Heinze et al., 1998). Within 
Cardiocondyla, winged disperser males have been lost con-
vergently in at least two clades, and in several species fighting 
among wingless males has been replaced by territoriality or 
mutual tolerance (Frohschammer & Heinze, 2009; Lenoir et 
al., 2007). Queen behavior is similarly variable. Facultative 
polygyny, i.e., the peaceful coexistence of several fertile 
queens per nest, appears to be the ancestral state, from which 
queen-queen fighting (Yamauchi et al., 2007; Heinze & Weber, 
2011) and obligate monogyny (a single queen per nest) have 
evolved (Schrempf & Heinze, 2007). 

Previous investigations have focused on the social 
organization and life history of species of Southeast Asian 
or Central European origin (Kugler, 1983; Kinomura & Ya-

RESEARCH ARTICLE - ANTS



Sociobiology 61(3): 300-306 (September 2014) 301

mauchi, 1987; Heinze et al., 1998; Lenoir et al., 2007), but 
little is known about the African “C. shuckardi group” (sen-
su Seifert, 2003). This group is of particular interest as it is 
phylogenetically situated between the C. nuda clade (with 
facultative polygyny and male fighting at least in C. mauri-
tanica and C. kagutsuchi) and a clade consisting of several 
monogynous species with only wingless, mutually tolerant 
males (Oettler et al., 2010). 

One of the six presently recognized species of the C. 
shuckardi group, C. venustula Wheeler, 1908 has recently 
been studied in populations introduced to Kaua’i (Hawai’i; 
Frohschammer & Heinze, 2009) and Puerto Rico (J. Heinze 
and Susanne Jacobs, unpubl.), and in a native population in 
South Africa (Heinze et al., 2013). As yet, only wingless males 
have been found, with some particularly large males from 
South Africa combining the typical morphology of wingless 
males with the presence of ocelli and vestigial wings without 
otherwise approaching the morphology of typical winged ant 
males. C. venustula males appear to defend small territories 
and fight against males that intrude into their home range. 
Colonies were at least temporarily polygynous, in contrast to 
Wheeler’s report on monogyny (Wheeler, 1908). 

C. shuckardi Forel, 1891 was described from Imerina, 
the central highlands of Madagascar. According to B. Sei-
fert (pers. comm.) it appears to be restricted to this island. 
Records of “C. shuckardi” from other parts of Africa (Sam-
ways, 1983; van Hamburg et al., 2004; Hita Garcia et al., 
2009; Kone et al., 2012), the Arab peninsula (Collingwood & 
Agosti, 1996) and Iran (Ghahari & Collingwood, 2011) are 
probably misidentifications of other species of the C. shuck-
ardi group owing to the often extremely close morphological 
similarities among species of Cardiocondyla (e.g., Seifert, 
2003, 2008). Here we describe the results of a field study on 
the occurrence and colony composition of C. shuckardi on 
the outskirts of Antananarivo, Madagascar, and describe the 
wingless males of this species. 

Material and Methods

Study area

We identified potentially suitable collecting sites from 
previous records of C. shuckardi captured in Malaise and pit-
fall traps as listed on www.antweb.org. In March 2012, we 
visited four sites: the garden of the Madagascar Biodiversity 
Centre at Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo (18° 55’ 57” S, 47° 31’ 
31.8” E, 1284 m), a sandy threshing floor and paths in front 
of the palace of Ilafy (18° 51’ 14.5” S, 47° 33’ 56.8” E, 1356 
m), the edge of a eucalypt plantation at Ambohidrabiby (18° 
45’ 55” S, 47° 36’ 37” E, 1381 m), and a gravel path branching 
off Route Nationale 2 at Mandraka Park (18° 54’ 20” S, 47° 
53’ 35” E, 1369 m). We followed foragers of C. shuckardi to their 
nest entrances in the soil. Nests were carefully excavated, adults 
and brood were collected into plastic vials with an aspirator. 
All specimens were transferred to the Madagascar Biodiver-

sity Centre in Antananarivo, and censused under a binocu-
lar microscope. Ovaries of queens were dissected following 
Buschinger and Alloway (1978). 

Population genetics

We investigated the suitability of primers previously 
developed to amplify seven microsatellite loci in other spe-
cies of Cardiocondyla (CE2-3A, CE2-4A, CE2-4E, CE2-
5D, CE2-12D, Lenoir et al., 2005; CARD8 and CARD21, 
Schrempf et al., 2005) for the determination of the genetic 
structure of C. shuckardi colonies. Though only three loci 
exhibited some variability, we analyzed the genotypes of 4 
to 20 workers from each of 14 colonies (total 143 workers) 
and 1 to 6 dealate queens from 11 colonies (total 31 queens) 
from Ilavy, 10 workers and 4 or 5 queens from each of two 
colonies from Mandraka, and 10 workers and 5 queens each 
from one colony from Ambohidrabiby and one colony from 
Tsimbazaza to obtain an estimate of colony and population 
structure of this ant (233 total individuals). Specimens in-
cluded both old and young queens, most of which still had 
wings when collected. We could not determine the genotypes 
at all loci in some individuals, and three individuals were 
removed because their CE2-12D genotypes appeared to have 
alleles not found anywhere else. We used Relatedness 4.02 
(Goodnight & Queller, 1999) to estimate inbreeding coeffi-
cients and nestmate relatedness in colonies from Ilafy. Con-
fidence intervals were obtained by jackknifing by loci. From 
the inbreeding coefficient we calculated the frequency of 
sib-mating following Suzuki and Iwasa (1980). 

Morphology of males

Six males of C. shuckardi were mounted on points 
and inspected under a Wild M10 binocular microscope with 
a Wild 1.6x planapochromatic objective at a magnification of 
160-200x. We measured head width, scape length, eye diameter, 
mesonotum width and length (Weber’s length), petiole width, 
and postpetiole width. In addition, we counted the number of 
funicular segments.

Results

Occurrence and colony composition

C. shuckardi appears to be a common ant in degraded, 
open patches of grassland, in sandy areas along the edges of 
unpaved paths, and in parks and gardens in the central high-
lands of Madagascar. Nests were particularly dense and easy 
to locate in the regularly watered gardens of Madagascar 
Biodiversity Centre and near a parched ditch at Ilafy. Solitary 
workers were seen foraging over distances of more than two 
meters, and in a few cases we also observed pairs of workers 
engaged in tandem running, a typical behavior for Cardio-
condyla (Wilson, 1959; Heinze et al., 2006). Colony nests 



J Heinze et al - Sociobiology of the ant Cardiocondyla shuckardi302

consisted of pea-sized chambers in sandy soil, under stones, 
roots, or between pebbles in the upper 15 cm of the ground. 
Most nest entrances were surrounded by conspicuous mid-
dens of corpses of other ants, predominantly Pheidole. 

In total, we censused 62 colonies (32 from Ilafy, 16 
from Tsimbazaza, 10 from Ambohidrabiby, 4 from Mandra-
ka). Individual nests contained between one and seven dealate 
queens and up to 85 workers. In the most intensively studied 
site, Ilafy, six nests were queenless, 11 had one queen, and 
the remaining 15 nests had two to seven queens (26 queen-
right colonies: median, quartiles 1, 2, 4). Nests contained 10 
to 80 workers (median, quartiles, 30.5, 22, 40). Colony com-
position was similar in the other localities. Upon collection, 
14 colonies contained 1 to 10 winged female sexuals, seven 
colonies contained a single wingless male each, and one col-
ony contained two wingless males. 

We observed numerous solitary, wingless queens 
moving outside the nest, suggesting that at least a fraction of 
young queens disperse after mating and shedding their wings 
in their natal nests. Dissection showed that the ovaries of all 
queens in two multi-queen colonies (all five queens from a 
colony from Tsimbazaza, five of 12 queens from a colony 
from Ambohidrabiby) contained developing and mature eggs 
and had a filled spermatheca. From ovarian status it appeared 
that three or four of these 10 queens had only recently begun 
to produce eggs. The ovaries of the other queens contained 
clearly visible corpora lutea and/or two or three mature eggs, 
suggesting that they had been fertile for a longer period. 
Multi-queen colonies therefore appear to be truly polygy-
nous.

Population genetics

Only three of the seven tested Cardiocondyla prim-
ers were suitable for the genetic analysis of colony structure. 
In 183 workers and 50 queens from 18 colonies, we found 
seven alleles at CE2-3A (82 – 94bp), 5 alleles at CE2-12D 
(143, 159, 163, 165, 167) and two alleles at CARD8 (128 
and 130bp). The number and variability of loci allows for 
only a crude analysis of colony structure. Nevertheless, our 
analysis clearly suggests a high frequency of inbreeding (Ta-
ble 1). In the most intensively studied population, Ilafy, ob-
served heterozygosities of workers and queens were much 
lower than expected heterozygosities at all three loci, result-
ing in inbreeding coefficients FIS of 1.000 at Card 8, 0.808 
at CE2-3A, and 0.559 at CE2-12D (overall FIS 0.685 ± SE 
0.133, corresponding to an average percentage of sib-mating 
of 89.7%). The presence of null alleles cannot be ruled out 
for Card 8. Ignoring this locus, the inbreeding coefficients 
at CE2-3A and CE-12D alone give an average percentage of 
sib-mating of 94.4% and 83.5%, respectively. A similar ex-
cess of homozygotes was observed in colonies from the other 
collection sites (Table 1).

Eleven of 18 colonies contained worker genotypes that 
were not compatible with single mating by a single queen. 

Several genotype combinations suggest the coexistence of 
several matrilines rather than multiple queen matings. For 
example, one worker and one queen from the Mandraka 2 
colony had a genotype at all three loci that did not overlap 
with those of other workers and queens. 

Average nestmate relatedness in the 14 colonies from 
Ilafy was 0.784 ± 0.112, ranging in individual colonies from 
0.487 ± 0.079 to 1 ± 0 in colonies in which all workers had 
the same genotype at all loci. Excluding the almost invari-
able locus Card8 relatedness did not change the result (0.787 
± 0.098, range 0.475 ± 0.069 to 1± 0). Relatedness among 
workers was 0.766 ± 0.108, ranging from 0.356 ± 0.0.082 to 
1 ± 0 (excluding Card 8 0.771 ± 0.095; range 0.353 ± 0.069 
to 1 ± 0). The high inbreeding coefficient and the frequent oc-
currence of more than two worker genotypes per colony sug-
gests that this value does not reflect monogyny and monan-
dry. Instead, many colonies appear to be composed of several 
inbred lineages of workers. In contrast, queens showed much 
less variation than workers: all but two queens from Ilafy had 
the same homozygous genotype at loci Card8 and CE2-3A 
and nestmate queens had one or two different genotypes at 
CE2-12D. Queen relatedness in the five multi-queen colonies 
was 0.949 ± 0.034 (excluding Card 8 0.848 ± 0.076). 

Morphology of males

Wingless males closely resemble those of C. venustula 
in morphology, coloration, and size (Fig 1). Compared to 
wingless males of other Cardiocondyla species, but similar 
to those of C. venustula, wingless males of C. shuckardi are 
relatively large (Weber’s length 0.62–0.67 mm; thorax width 
0.35–0.37 mm). They have large heads (head width 0.49–
0.53mm) with strongly sclerotized mandibles and relatively 
small eyes (eye diameter 0.10–0.11 mm). The antennae re-
semble those of workers (scape length 0.39–0.41) and the fu-
niculus consists of 10 to 11 segments (Fig. 2), with the typical 
fusion of segments previously reported from other wingless 
Cardiocondyla males (Seifert, 2003). The pronotal shoulders 
are well-developed but appear to be less angular than in C. 
venustula from South Africa (Fig. 1). Petiole and postpetiole 
width ranged from 0.16–0.19 mm and 0.25–0.28 mm, respec-
tively, with a median ratio between petiole and postpetiole 
width of 0.65. Several males showed injuries such as missing 
legs (as in the C. venustula male in Fig. 1), and one male was 
found decapitated. This suggests that wingless males of C. 
shuckardi engage in fights for the monopolization of mating 
with nestmate female sexuals similar to those engaged in by 
their counterparts in other species. 

Discussion

Cardiocondyla shuckardi appears to be rather com-
mon in the Madagascar highlands. Nest density was particu-
larly high in places with regularly high humidity, i.e., in gar-
dens or along dry ditches. This matches findings from other 



Sociobiology 61(3): 300-306 (September 2014) 303

Cardiocondyla species, which build nests in humid patches 
in xeric environments, i.e., on sandy river banks or beaches 
(Seifert, 2003; Lenoir, 2006; Oettler et al., 2010). We collected 
the colonies from cavities in the uppermost 10 cm of the soil 
after heavy rains, but it is likely that the ants move deeper under-
ground during drier periods. For example, C. elegans nests 
reach to a depth of 40 cm (Lenoir, 2006) and nest chambers 
of the desert species C. ulianini were found as deep as 1.5 m 
(Marikovsky & Yakushkin, 1974). Colonies of C. shuckardi 
were small, with fewer than 100 workers, as is typical for 
Cardiocondyla (Heinze, 1999; Oettler et al., 2010). Never-
theless, because of the high density of nests, foragers of C. 
shuckardi appeared to be among the most abundant ants in our 
collecting sites. The species presumably plays a considerable 
role in anthropogenically disturbed, open habitat, such as 
plantations and gardens. Its ecology therefore appears to re-
semble that of C. venustula in South Africa (e.g., Samways, 
1983; van Hamburg et al., 2004). 

Our study clarifies two important aspects of the repro-
ductive biology of this species. First, its colonies are at least 
temporarily facultatively polygynous, and second, males are 
wingless and resemble those of the related species C. venustu-
la in size and morphology (Frohschammer and Heinze 2009). 
In the studied specimens of C. shuckardi, pronotal shoulders 
appeared to be less angular than in the presently available 
males of C. venustula, but because of the limited sample, the 
large variation of C. venustula males (Heinze et al., 2013) 
and the lack of males from other species of the C. shuckardi 
group, it would be premature to define universal diagnostic 
features. Injuries in the examined males of C. shuckardi and 
the simultaneous presence of two males in field colonies sug-
gest that males may attack and damage young rivals but do 
not always engage in lethal fighting with other adult males. 
Hence, male behavior appears to be similar to that of C. ve-

nustula and C. mauritanica males (Frohschammer and Heinze, 
2009; Heinze et al., 1993). Whether C. shuckardi males de-
fend small “territories” within the nests against other males, 
as observed in C. venustula (Frohschammer and Heinze, 
2009), remains to be determined. 

As in other species of this genus, analyzing the genetic 
structure of colonies and populations of C. shuckardi was 
difficult because of the extremely low variability of genetic 
markers. Only three of seven microsatellite loci were variable to 
some extent. This obviously prevents us from making con-
clusions about queen mating frequencies or fine-scaled popu-
lation and colony structure. Nevertheless, the available data 
clearly suggest that inbreeding is extremely common in C. 
shuckardi. From the inbreeding coefficient we estimate that 
more than 80% of all matings involve full sibs. This matches 
the condition in monogynous C. batesii, C. elegans, and C. 
nigra, where 50–80% of all matings involve brothers and sis-
ters (Schrempf et al., 2005; Lenoir et al., 2007, Schrempf, 
2014). Dissection data and the co-occurrence of up to four 
different worker genotypes in colonies of C. shuckardi indi-
cate that several mothers may contribute to the offspring of 
single colonies. Furthermore, the genotypes indicate that in-
dividuals may occasionally be exchanged among nests. One 
queen and one worker from Mandraka had a multilocus-gen-
otype different from those of all other studied nestmates, sug-
gesting the adoption of alien queens as in C. elegans (Lenoir 
et al., 2007). 

The combination of frequent inbreeding, polygyny, 
and queen or worker adoption results in a high nestmate 
relatedness value, which presumably would be much lower 
if corrected for inbreeding (e.g., Pamilo, 1985). However, 
such a correction is not yet possible in C. shuckardi, as the 
mating frequency of queens is unknown and single males may 
mate with multiple queens. Regardless of the exact value of 
relatedness, the genotype patterns suggest that queens mate 
in their natal nests with brothers and then disperse and seek 
adoption in other nests, in a manner similar to what has been 
observed in related species (Schrempf et al., 2005; Lenoir et 
al., 2007). More detailed studies on ants of the C. venustula 
group will help to better understand their peculiar life history. 

Acknowledgments

The research was made possible through a collecting 
permit to B.L. Fisher and funding of Deutsche Forschungs-
gemeinschaft (He 1623/34). We thank Sandra Theobald 
and Julia Giehr for their help with genotyping and Christi-
ana Klingenberg, Naturkundemuseum Karlsruhe, for z-stack 
photographs of the males. 

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Table 1 - Genotypes of workers and queens of the ant Cardiocondyla shuckardi from 18 colonies from four populations on Madagascar 
(Ilafy, Ambohidrabiby, Tsimbazaza, Mandraka) at three microsatellite loci (1a:Card8, CE2-3A; 1b: CE2-12D). For each locus, the number 
of workers / queens with a certain genotype is given.
Table 1a

Card8 CE2-3A

128/
128

128/
130

130/
130

82/84 84/84 84/86 84/94 86/86 86/90 86/92 86/94 88/88 90/90 92/92 92/94 94/94

Ilafy 1 19/6 15/6 1/0 2/0 1/0

Ilafy 2 10/4 9/4

Ilafy 3 9/3 1/0 13/3 6/0 1/0

Ilafy 4 19/5 1/0 5/4 2/0 1/0

Ilafy 5 10/5 1/0 9/5

Ilafy 6 10/- 10/

Ilafy 7 9/1 9/1

Ilafy 8 10/1 10/1

Ilafy 9 8/1 8/1

Ilafy 10 4/- 4/-

Ilafy 11 10/1 4/1 6/0

Ilafy 12 10/1 8/1 2/0

Ilafy 13 8/3 8/3

Ilafy 14 4/- 4/-

Ambo 8/5 1/0 1/0 1/0 1/3 3/2 3/0 1/0 1/0

Tsimb 1 10/5 10/5

Mand 1 10/5 1/0 1/1 1/1 6/3

Mand 2 1/1 9/3 1/1 0/1 0/1 6/1 3/0



J Heinze et al - Sociobiology of the ant Cardiocondyla shuckardi306

Table 1 b
CE2-12D

143/143 143/159 159/159 159/167 163/163 163/165 165/165 165/167 167/167
Ilafy 1 2/2 8/3 1/0 1/0
Ilafy 2 1/0 3/0 3/2
Ilafy 3 2/0 1/1 16/2
Ilafy 4 1/0 4/0 ¾
Ilafy 5 10/5
Ilafy 6 3/- 7/-
Ilafy 7 3/0 2/0 3/1
Ilafy 8 10/1
Ilafy 9 1/0 2/1 5/0
Ilafy 10 1/- 1/- 1/- 1/-
Ilafy 11 10/1
Ilafy 12 4/1 6/0
Ilafy 13 2/0 2/1 3/2
Ilafy 14 4/-
Ambo 4/5
Tsimb 1 8/2
Mand 1 7/3 1/1 1/1
Mand 2 4/0 3/2 2/1 1/1