Camponotus fergusoni

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Camponotus fergusoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. fergusoni
Binomial name
Camponotus fergusoni
McArthur, 2003

Camponotus fergusoni PT minor side ANIC32-023552.jpg

Camponotus fergusoni PT minor top ANIC32-023552.jpg

Specimen labels

McArthur (2003) - Minor workers observed leaving and returning to nest during the day. The heads of major workers were sometimes observed blocking a nest entrance in heavy soil (G. Weber pers. comm. 2003).

Photo Gallery

  • Camponotus fergusoni worker at a sugar bait. Workers are incredibly skittish, rapidly dispersing at the slightest hint of danger. Brimbank Park, Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Jordan Dean.

Identification

McArthur (2003) - Similar to Camponotus chalceus. Minor workers distinguished by a covering of very fine dense white pubescence covering the reticulate integument whereas in C. chalceus pubescence is sparse, integument finely punctate; both mostly black, mesosoma usually with some red; propodeal dorsum concave.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -34.61666667° to -36.61666667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • fergusoni. Camponotus fergusoni McArthur, 2003: 7, figs. 2, 3, 12 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA (South Australia, Victoria).
    • Status as species: McArthur, 2007a: 322; McArthur, 2010: 92; McArthur, 2014: 166.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Major worker. Head sides straight, weakly tapering to the front, vertex straight; clypeus with a few fine long setae, without pubescence; weakly projecting forward, anterior margin evenly concave; metanotum a distinct furrow; node parallel front and back, summit blunt; propodeal spiracle elongated; mesosoma and node covered with white fine short adpressed pubescence.

Minor worker. Head sides straight, tapering to the front, vertex convex; clypeus anterior margin median section wide, nearly straight, projecting forward, dense pubescence nearly hiding the integument; pronotum, mesonotum and half propodeum form an even convexity; node with a long flatly convex summit.

Type Material

Etymology

Named after Ferguson Conservation Park, South Australia.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • McArthur A.J. 2003. New species of Camponotus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Australia. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 127(1): 5-14.