Camponotus aurosus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Camponotus aurosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Subgenus: Myrmosaga
Species: C. aurosus
Binomial name
Camponotus aurosus
Roger, 1863

Camponotus aurosus casent0056472 profile 1.jpg

Camponotus aurosus casent0056472 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

The distribution of C. aurosus is restricted to Mauritius and Reunion islands. In these islands, this species occupies primary and disturbed rainforest habitats, where workers have been found foraging on the ground and on lower vegetation and nest sites have been located in rotten logs, in the ground, under stones, in termite nests and in tree trunks.

Identification

In full-face view, lateral margin of head anterior to eye level diverging posteriorly and covered with erect hairs; anterior clypeal margin broadly triangular or convex; mesosoma in profile short and high; gastral tergites covered with abundant pubescence; head and gaster black, mesosoma reddish orange to brown.

Camponotus aurosus is similar to Camponotus hagensii with respect to the shape of the head and the presence of erect hairs on the lateral cephalic margin, but the latter is characterized by the straight anteromedian margin of its clypeus, low and long mesosoma, and the presence of some pubescence on the gastral tergites.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -20.03333333° to -20.45463°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Mauritius (type locality), Réunion.

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

Images from AntWeb

Camponotus aurosus casent0056473 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0056473 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0056473 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0056473 label 1.jpg
Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0056473. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Camponotus aurosus casent0064815 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0064815 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0064815 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0064815 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0064815. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Camponotus aurosus casent0104620 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0104620 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0104620 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0104620 label 1.jpg
Lectotype of Camponotus aurosusWorker. Specimen code casent0104620. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ZMHB, Berlin, Germany.
Camponotus aurosus casent0104992 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0104992 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0104992 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0104992 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0104992. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Camponotus aurosus casent0109866 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0109866 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0109866 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0109866 label 1.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0109866. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Camponotus aurosus casent0135246 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0135246 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0135246 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0135246 label 1.jpg
Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0135246. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Camponotus aurosus casent0135247 head 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0135247 profile 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0135247 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus aurosus casent0135247 label 1.jpg
Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0135247. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • aurosus. Camponotus aurosus Roger, 1863a: 134 (w.) MAURITIUS.
    • Combination in C. (Myrmepomis): Emery, 1920b: 258;
    • combination in C. (Myrmosericus): Forel, 1914a: 268.
    • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 2; Mayr, 1863: 458; Smith, F. 1871a: 306; Forel, 1891b: 36 (redescription); Dalla Torre, 1893: 222; Emery, 1896d: 372 (in list); Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1044; Emery, 1925b: 105; Donisthorpe, 1946e: 34; Donisthorpe, 1949e: 275; Bolton, 1995b: 87; Blard, et al. 2003: 129.

Type Material

Syntype workers, Mauritius (Roger) (ZMHB); one syntype minor worker designated as lectotype, by present designation, AntWeb CASENT0104620 (ZMHB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].

Description

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Donisthorpe H. 1949. A new Camponotus from Madagascar and a small collection of ants from Mauritius. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (12)2: 271-275.
  • Donisthorpe, Horace. 1946. The Ants (Hym. Formicidae) of Mauritius. Annals and Magazine of National History. Ser. 11. 13:25-35.
  • Emery C. 1886. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna 5: 363-382
  • Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
  • Fisher B. L. 2005. A new species of Discothyrea Roger from Mauritius and a new species of Proceratium Roger from Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (4)56: 657-667.
  • Mamet R. 1954. The ants (Hymenoptera Formicidae) of the Mascarene Islands. Mauritius Inst. Bull. 3: 249-259.
  • Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055