Camponotites vehemens

†Camponotites vehemens Temporal range: Early Oligocene K Pa Eo Ol Mi Pl Brunstatt, Haut-Rhin, France
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Genus:	Camponotites
Species:	†C. vehemens
Binomial name
†Camponotites vehemens (Förster, 1891)
Synonyms
Camponotus miserabilis Förster, 1891

Boudinot et al. (2024) - These fossils could be considered unidentifiable to species, hence invalid, but are here treated as incertae sedis in Camponotus to highlight their existence. Critically, because of the lack of morphological information, it is possible that a number of these taxa belong to other genera of Camponotini (see Ward et al. (2016) and Ward & Boudinot (2021)). Reexamination of the original material is necessary in all cases (Boudinot et al. (2024), Note 11).

To prevent the uncritical usage of unidentifiable fossils attributed to Camponotus for macroevolutionary analysis, this species has been transferred to the form genus Camponotites. A form genus is a classificatory category used for fossils which are similar in appearance but cannot be reliably assigned to an established genus, in this case Camponotus. See Camponotites for further justification for this treatment. Until then, it is placed within Camponotites, noting that the taxa placed within this genus are unlikely to be closely related to each other.

Distribution

This taxon was described from Brunstatt, Haut-Rhin, France (Early Oligocene).

Nomenclature

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

• †vehemens. †Camponotus vehemens Förster, 1891: 428, pl. 13, fig. 3 (m.) GERMANY (Oligocene).
  • Théobald, 1937b: 218 (w.q.m.).
  • Status as species: Handlirsch, 1907: 867; Théobald, 1937b: 218; Burnham, 1979: 116; Bolton, 1995b: 129.
  • Senior synonym of †miserabilis: Théobald, 1937b: 218; Bolton, 1995b: 128.
  • Combination in Camponotites: Boudinot et al., 2024: 144.
• †miserabilis. †Camponotus miserabilis Förster, 1891: 430, pl. 13, fig. 4 (q.) GERMANY (Oligocene).
  • Status as species: Handlirsch, 1907: 867.
  • Junior synonym of †vehemens: Théobald, 1937b: 218; Bolton, 1995b: 111.

References

• Boudinot, B.E., Bock, B.L., Weingardt, M., Tröger, D., Batelka, J., LI, D., Richter, A., Pohl, H., Moosdorf, O.T.D., Jandausch, K., Hammel, J.U., Beutel, R. G. 2024. Et latet et lucet: Discoveries from the Phyletisches Museum amber and copal collection in Jena, Germany. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 711, 111–176 (doi:10.3897/dez.71.112433).
• Förster, B. 1891. Die Insekten des "Plattigen Steinmergels" von Brunstatt. Abh. Geol. Spezialkt. Elsass-Lothringen 3: 333-594 (page 428, pl. 13, fig. 3 male described)
• Perfilieva, K.S. 2022. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from localities of the Russian Far East (Amgu, Velikaya Kema). Paleontological Journal, 56(4), 412–425 (doi:10.1134/s0031030122040086).
• Theobald, N. 1937a. Les insectes fossiles des terrains oligocènes de France. Nancy: G. Thomas, 473 pp. (page 218, Senior synonym of miserabilis)
• Theobald, N. 1937a. Les insectes fossiles des terrains oligocènes de France. Nancy: G. Thomas, 473 pp. (page 218, worker, queen, male described)