Camponotus gestroi

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Camponotus gestroi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Subgenus: Myrmentoma
Species group: lateralis
Species complex: gestroi
Species: C. gestroi
Binomial name
Camponotus gestroi
Emery, 1878

Camponotus gestroi casent0179873 p 1 high.jpg

Camponotus gestroi casent0179873 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Subspecies
Synonyms

This is a thermophilous species, associated with warm mediterranean habitats, such like shrubs along roadsides, borders of deciduous and coniferous forests and pastures. Nests were located under stones or inside dry and empty stems of shrubs or large herbs (Borowiec & Salata, 2021). It is known to populate dry open areas, and build nests in soil, often under rocks (Radchenko 1997). In Cyprus, Camponotus gestroi has been collected from pine forests and open habitats (xerothermic meadow, dam lake) on Mediterranean bushes (Salata et al., 2023).

Identification

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - Radchenko (1997c) included this species in the C. gestroi species complex of the Camponotus lateralis species group. Other species in the complex are Camponotus rebeccae, Camponotus kurdistanicus, and Camponotus vogti. Camponotus gestroi differs from these species by having erect setae scattered all over the propodeal dorsum, as opposed to a single transversal row of erect setae restricted to the junction of the propodeal dorsum with declivity, and by a completely black body, whereas the pronotum at least is red in C. kurdistanicus, and the head and mesosoma are always paler than the gaster in C. rebeccae and C. vogti.

Major workers from Israel differ from western Mediterranean specimens by having the dorsum of the mesonotum more convex and distinctly posterior to the level of the propodeum, and by a distinct metanotal groove.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - Western Mediterranean and southern Europe to southern Transcaucasus (Radchenko, 1997c), Near East and Iran (Paknia et al., 2008).

This is a thermophilous species, uncommon but noted from all Greek provinces except Epirus (Borowiec et al., 2022).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 42.9° to 31.766667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy (type locality), Jordan, Lebanon, Portugal, Spain, Türkiye.

Distribution based on AntMaps

AntMapLegend.png

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

Association with Other Organisms

Explore-icon.png Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
  • This species is a mutualist for the aphid Thelaxes suberis (a trophobiont) (Stary, 1969; Saddiqui et al., 2019).

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • gestroi. Camponotus gestroi Emery, 1878b: 44, fig. (s.w.) ITALY (Sardinia).
    • Forel, 1894d: 4 (q.m.); Emery, 1916b: 160 (q.).
    • Combination in C. (Orthonotomyrmex): Forel, 1913d: 435;
    • combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1920b: 257.
    • Subspecies of marginata: Emery & Forel, 1879: 448.
    • Status as species: André, 1882a: 148 (in key); Forel, 1886e: clxvii; Forel, 1886f: 181; Dalla Torre, 1893: 232; Forel, 1894d: 4; Emery, 1896d: 373 (in list); Emery, 1898a: 226; Krausse, 1912b: 166; Emery, 1914d: 159; Emery, 1916b: 226; Bondroit, 1918: 76; Müller, 1923b: 154 (in key); Emery, 1924c: 170; Emery, 1925b: 119; Donisthorpe, 1927a: 9; Bernard, 1945: 137; Ceballos, 1956: 312; Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 58; Cagniant, 1964: 92; Bernard, 1967: 343 (redescription); Cagniant, 1968a: 146; Cagniant, 1970c: 37; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 191; Collingwood, 1978: 91 (in key); Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 58; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 283 (in key); Collingwood, 1993b: 195; Arakelian, 1994: 85; Bolton, 1995b: 101; Poldi, et al. 1995: 7; Cagniant, 1996b: 92; Radchenko, 1996b: 1199 (in key); Radchenko, 1997b: 706; Collingwood & Prince, 1998: 24 (in key); Petrov, 2006: 108 (in key); Paknia, et al. 2008: 153; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowsky, 2009: 479; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 39; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 43; Ionescu-Hirsch, 2010: 73; Legakis, 2011: 30; Karaman, C. et al. 2011: 188; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 475; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 6; Karaman, C. & Aktaç, 2013: 50 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 32 (see note in bibliography); Bračko, et al. 2014: 18; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 138; Lebas, et al. 2016: 134; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 43.
    • Current subspecies: nominal plus ponariensis.
  • creticus. Camponotus gestroi st. creticus Forel, 1886e: clix, fig. 1 (w.) GREECE (Crete I.).
    • Combination in C. (Orthonotomyrmex): Forel, 1913d: 435;
    • combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925b: 119.
    • Subspecies of gestroi: Forel, 1889: 261; Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 232 (footnote); Emery, 1894j: 10; Emery, 1896d: 373 (in list); Forel, 1910a: 23; Forel, 1911d: 356; Forel, 1913d: 435; Emery, 1914d: 159; Emery, 1915h: 2; Santschi, 1921a: 116; Müller, 1923b: 161; Emery, 1925b: 119; Karavaiev, 1926f: 69; Finzi, 1928c: 791; Finzi, 1930d: 318; Menozzi, 1933b: 82 (in key); Menozzi, 1936d: 303; Finzi, 1939c: 160; Pisarski, 1971b: 730; Hamann & Klemm, 1976: 677; Aktaç, 1977: 126; Legakis, 2011: 29.
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 227; Kugler, J. 1988: 259; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 43.
    • Junior synonym of gestroi: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 58; Arakelian, 1994: 85; Bolton, 1995b: 94; Radchenko, 1997b: 706; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 6; Seifert, 2019: 16.

Taxonomic Notes

Seifert (2019): Camponotus gestroi: This taxon has been described from Sardinia. The type specimen depicted in antweb.org under CASENT0905794 shows a very weak or absent metanotal depression, a convex overall dorsal profile line of mesosoma, and the angle between the dorsal plane and declivity of propodeum is about 120°.

Seifert (2019): Camponotus gestroi creticus: This taxon has been described from Crete. The type specimen depicted in antweb.org under CASENT0910430 shows a very weak or absent metanotal depression, a convex overall dorsal profile line of mesosoma, and the angle between the dorsal plane and declivity of propodeum is about 120°. A synonymy with C. gestroi appears reasonable at the first impression.

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

Description

Worker

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - TL = 4.6–8.3, HL = 1.09–2.01, HW = 0.91–1.91, EL = 0.31–0.39, SL = 1.11–1.52, ML = 1.58–2.58, PW = 0.74–1.41, mTbL = 0.90–1.37, hTbL = 1.19–1.88 (n = 15).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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