Camponotus fabricator

Camponotus fabricator
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus
Species:	C. fabricator
Binomial name
Camponotus fabricator (Smith, F., 1858) Specimen Labels

Smith (1858) described Camponotus fabricator from St Helena. Mayr (1886) reclassified it as a variety of Camponotus sylvaticus. Dalla Torre (1893) revived its status to full species. Emery (1896) considered it a subspecies of Camponotus maculatus. Forel (1914) revived C. fabricator to full species status.

X. Espadaler examined one major type specimen and determined that it is not C. sylvaticus, C. maculatus, or any known European species. Nor did it fit any North American species in Creighton's (1950) key or publicated digital images available on the web. Disturbingly, the specimen also did not fit Smith's (1858) original description of C. fabricator as a "smooth and shining" species. The type specimen is a major worker that is dull with a fine reticulate sculpture on head and mesosoma; gaster transversely finely striate. This difference in sculpture of worker is very apparent. The head, gaster, and upper half of mesosoma are dark brown, the legs are brownish red, and the funiculus is brownish yellow. Some Camponotus from Africa (e.g., Camponotus acvapimensis) and India (e.g., Camponotus festinus) have similar coloration. The combination of a dull, dark, bicolored worker with very short and sparse pubescence and poorly developed pilosity (four pronotal hairs, three propodeal hairs, total of five hairs on the central part of tergites 1-3 of gaster), tibiae with erect bristles, and a relatively small size (HW 3.4, HL 3.3, SL 2.8, total length ~11 mm) is not known in any other Camponotus species. Pending further revision we regard this species as validd.

This species is the sole ant species known only from a Mid-Atlantic Ridge island. Still, it is likely that this is an exotic Old World species brought into St Helena on imported goods. Donisthorpe (1927) recorded several species of exotic Camponotus on imported wood, flowers, food products in England (also see Wetterer & Wetterer 2004, Wetterer & al. 2006). Camponotus fabricator may be extinct on St Helena. (Wetterer et al., 2007)

At a Glance

• Limited invasive

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Saint Helena (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.

Castes

Images from AntWeb

Holotype of Camponotus fabricator. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0903602. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

• fabricator. Formica fabricator Smith, F. 1858b: 35 (s.w.q.) ST HELENA.
  • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers, syntype queen(s) (numbers not stated).
  • Type-locality: St Helena I. (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Combination in Camponotus: Roger, 1863b: 2;
  • combination in C. (Myrmoturba): Forel, 1914a: 267;
  • combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 104.
  • Subspecies of sylvaticus: Mayr, 1886c: 355.
  • Subspecies of maculatus: Emery, 1896d: 371 (in list).
  • Status as species: Mayr, 1863: 414; Roger, 1863b: 2; Dalla Torre, 1893: 230; Forel, 1914a: 267; Emery, 1925b: 104; Bolton, 1995b: 98; Wetterer, Espadaler, Ashmole, et al. 2007: 31.
  • Distribution: St Helena I.

References

• Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 98, catalogue)
• Creighton, W. S. 1950a. The ants of North America. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 104: 1-585.
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp.
• Donisthorpe, H. 1927c. British ants, their life history and classification (2nd edn.). London: G. Routledge and Sons, xvi + 436 pp.
• Emery, C. 1896j. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Mem. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna (5)5:363-382 [pagination of separate 761-780.
• Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 104, combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex))
• Forel, A. 1914a. Le genre Camponotus Mayr et les genres voisins. Rev. Suisse Zool. 22: 257-276.
• Mayr, G. 1886c. Notizen über die Formiciden-Sammlung des British Museum in London. Verhandlungen der k.k. Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 36: 353-368. [(30).ix.1886.]
• Roger, J. 1863b. Verzeichniss der Formiciden-Gattungen und Arten. Berl. Entomol. Z. 7(B Beilage: 1-65 (page 2, combination in Camponotus)
• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 35, soldier, worker, queen described)
• Wetterer, J.K., Wetterer, A.L. 2004: Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Bermuda. – Florida Entomologist 87: 212-221.
• Wetterer, J.K., Espadaler, X., Ashmole, N.P., Mendel, H., Cutler, C., Endeman, J. 2007. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the South Atlantic islands of Ascension Island, St Helena, and Tristan da Cunha. Myrmecological News 10: 29-37.
• Wetterer, J.K., Espadaler, X., Wetterer, A.L., Aguin-Pombo, D., Franquinho-Aguiar, A.M. 2006. Long-term impact of exotic ants on the native ants of Madeira. Ecological Entomology 31: 358-368.