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Camponotus ellioti
| Camponotus ellioti | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Camponotus |
| Subgenus: | Mayria |
| Species group: | ellioti |
| Species: | C. ellioti |
| Binomial name | |
| Camponotus ellioti Forel, 1891
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| Synonyms | |
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Camponotus ellioti occurs in the dry forest regions of the southeast of Madagascar in habitats such as bush, coastal scrub, and coastal spiny bush on sandy soil, Euphorbia forest, spiny bush and thicket, gallery forest, and riparian scrub. It has been collected from sifted litter and Malaise traps. The altitudes of these localities range from 5 to 230 meters.
Identification
Rasoamanana and Fisher (2022) - A member of the Camponotus ellioti species group. Head and mesosoma reddish brown to dark brown, gaster always dark colored; anterior clypeal margin of clypeus with short, rectangular lobe; pronotal humeri tuberculate, dorsal outline of mesosoma arcuate; gastral tergite with short, decumbent, ochreous setae.
Camponotus ellioti is a distinctive species recognizable by the submargined anterolateral corner of the pronotum and the gaster covering of thick, blunt hairs the color of rust. In the traditional classification, C. ellioti is considered a member of the C. darwinii species group based on the density and color of the gastral pilosity and the sculpture pattern; however, we propose color as a character difference between these two groups.
Keys including this Species
Distribution
Latitudinal Distribution Pattern
Latitudinal Range: -25.5944° to -25.5944°.
| North Temperate |
North Subtropical |
Tropical | South Subtropical |
South Temperate |
- Source: AntMaps
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality).
Distribution based on AntMaps
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
Worker
Images from AntWeb
    
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0101382. Photographer Nick Olgeirson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
   
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| Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0102440. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland. |
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0101196. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | Owned by Natural History Museum, Basel. |
   
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| Worker. Specimen code casent0101197. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. | |
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- ellioti. Camponotus ellioti Forel, 1891b: 37 (w.) MADAGASCAR.
- Type-material: holotype minor worker.
- Type-locality: Madagascar: (no further data) (Elliot) (ex coll. H. de Saussure).
- Type-depository: MHNG.
- Forel, 1904b: 377 (s.).
- Combination in C. (Myrmepomis): Forel, 1912i: 92;
- combination in C. (Myrmopiromis): Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 707;
- combination in C. (Mayria): Rasoamanana & Fisher, 2022: 147.
- Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 229; Emery, 1896d: 376 (in list); Forel, 1901h: 74; Forel, 1904b: 377; Forel, 1907g: 91; Santschi, 1911e: 133; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1052; Emery, 1925b: 128; Bolton, 1995b: 97; Rasoamanana & Fisher, 2022: 207 (redescription).
- Senior syonym of relucens: Rasoamanana & Fisher, 2022: 207.
- Distribution: Madagascar.
- relucens. Camponotus ellioti var. relucens Santschi, 1911e: 133 (in text) (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
- Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Rasoamanana & Fisher, 2022: 207), 1 paralectotype worker (castes not indicated).
- [Note: Rasoamanana & Fisher, 2022: 207, make it clear that there is 1 major and 1 minor worker, but inadvertently wrote “Lectotype two workers”.]
- Type-locality: lectotype Madagascar: SE region, Fort Dauphin, 1901 (Ch. Alluaud); paralectotype with same data.
- Type-depository: NHMB.
- Combination in C. (Myrmopiromis): Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1052.
- Subspecies of ellioti: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1052; Emery, 1925b: 129; Bolton, 1995b: 120.
- Junior synonym of ellioti: Rasoamanana & Fisher, 2022: 207.
Type Material
Rasoamanana and Fisher (2022) - Camponotus ellioti Holotype minor worker, Madagascar, collection Henri de Saussure. AntWeb CASENT0101382 (MHNG) (examined).
Camponotus ellioti var. relucens Santschi, 1911: 133. Lectotype two workers, present designation, Madagascar, Toliara Province, Region du Sud-Est Fort-Dauphin (Ch. Alluaudi), AntWeb CASENT0101196 (minor); CASENT0101197 (major) (NHMB).
Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.
Description
Worker
Rasoamanana and Fisher (2022):
Morphological measurements: see Appendix 1 and Ratios of morphometric data for majors and minors
Minor
Large-sized species. Absolute cephalic size (CS: 1.85±0.55, 1.45–2.42). In full-face view, head trapezoidal, wider than length of pronotum in dorsal view; occipital margin slightly convex medially, and straight subparallel lateral margin of head (CWb/CL: 0.36±0.03, 0.33–0.39). Eyes elliptical, positioned at the midline of head (PoOC/CL: 0.08±0.01, 0.07–0.09). Mandibles short and triangular with six teeth. Clypeus trapeziform, less convex in profile, sharply carinate along its entire length, with a short, rectangular projection feebly sinuate in the middle (ClyL/GPD: 0.12±0.01, 0.11–0.13). Frontal carina less sinuate and divergent. Antennal scape long and surpassing the occipital corner (SL/CS:0.41±0.07;0.34–0.46). In lateral view, dorsal outline of mesosoma forms a smooth curve, anterodorsal corner of pronotum distinctly shouldered, propodeum rounded, its surface convex and not marginate laterally, declivitous face triangular in posterior view (MW/ML: 0.23±0.03, 0.21–0.25; MPH/ML: 0.18±0.03, 0.16–0.20). Petiolar node squamiform in profile, wider than long, anterodorsal face distinctly flat and inclined forward, posterodorsal face flat, node summit arcuate. First abdominal tergite with vertical anterior face. Entire body (frontal area, dorsal face of mesosoma, scape, and legs) entirely, finely, and densely reticulate-punctate and matte; lateral face of petiole and abdomen transversally striolate. Mandible finely reticulate-punctate and subopaque, with superimposed, abundant punctuation arranged transversally. Ground pilosity yellowish, short, sparse, and dilute on tibia and scape. Short white to yellowish standing hair present on entire dorsum, sparsely distributed on occipital region, regularly present on petiolar dorsum and onto declivity, absent on scape and tibia. Dorsum of gastral segment with appressed ochreous setae and whitish, suberect hairs arranged serially parallel and longitudinally. Head and mesosoma dark brown to reddish brown; mandible, basal half of scape, basitarsus, and gastral segment reddish.
Major
Characteristics of minor workers, except: head as long as broad, with rather straight posterior and lateral borders (CS: 4.13±0.16, 3.90–4.33; CWb/CL: 1.04±0.02, 1.01–1.07). Eyes circular, placed dorsally next to lateral borders (PoOC/CL: 0.28±0.01, 0.26–0.29). Anterior clypeal margin forms a rectangular lobe (ClyL/GPD: 0.87±0.05, 0.79–0.92). Antennal scape short, not reaching the occipital border (SL/CS: 0.61±0.02, 0.58–0.65). Promesonotal suture strongly marked.
References
- Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 97, catalogue)
- Forel, A. 1891c. Les Formicides. [part]. In: Grandidier, A. Histoire physique, naturelle, et politique de Madagascar. Volume XX. Histoire naturelle des Hyménoptères. Deuxième partie (28e fascicule). Paris: Hachette et Cie, v + 237 pp. (page 137, worker described)
- Forel, A. 1904c [1903]. Note sur les fourmis du Musée Zoologique de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences à St. Pétersbourg. Ezheg. Zool. Muz. 8: 368-388 (page 377, soldier described)
- Forel, A. 1912j. Formicides néotropiques. Part VI. 5me sous-famille Camponotinae Forel. Mém. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 20: 59-92 (page 92, combination in C. (Myrmepomis))
- Rasoamanana, N., Fisher, B.L. 2022. A taxonomic revision of the Malagasy endemic subgenus Mayria of the genus Camponotus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) based on qualitative morphology and quantitative morphometric analyses. ZooKeys 1081: 137–231 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1081.71872).
- Wheeler, W. M. 1922k. 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. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 4 45: 1005-1055 (page 707, combination in C. Myrmopiromis))
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
- 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. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
- Forel A. 1907. Ameisen von Madagaskar, den Comoren und Ostafrika. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. Reise in Ostafrika 2: 75-92.
- 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