Camponotus lividipes

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Camponotus lividipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. lividipes
Binomial name
Camponotus lividipes
Emery, 1887

Identification

McArthur and Adams (1996) - The clypeus of C. nigriceps lividipes resembles Camponotus terebrans, where the anterior margin is more straight and dissimilar to the concave anterior margin of the C. nigriceps group.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -23° to -34.92577°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

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

Nomenclature

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

  • lividipes. Camponotus nigriceps st. lividipes Emery, 1887a: 211 (footnote) (s.w.) AUSTRALIA (South Australia, Queensland).
    • Combination in C. (Myrmoturba): Forel, 1914a: 267;
    • combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 103.
    • Subspecies of consobrinus: Wheeler, W.M. 1933b: 23; Clark, 1934c: 71.
    • Subspecies of nigriceps: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 244 (footnote); Emery, 1896d: 372 (in list); Emery, 1925b: 103; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 117; Taylor, 1987a: 14; Bolton, 1995b: 108.
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 240; Forel, 1914a: 267; McArthur, 2014: 66.

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

Description

In my collection a specimen from the Andaman Islands has all the characteristic shape, markings and hair of C nigriceps, and the color of the smaller forms of the type. Length 12 mm.,the development of the head corresponding with the Australian forms of 10 mm.

I believe that I have to refer to the aberrant race of C nigriceps the following forms that I will now call C lividipes n.st.

The shape of the clypeus and markings is similar to C.nigriceps. The node is depressed from the back where the appearance is almost plateau; the soft hair of the limbs is longer and more abundant. The color is black, with only the limbs and flagelli testaceous, so therefore at first sight it resembles C.testaceipes Smith. Specimens from my Adelaide and Queensland collections are a lot smaller (6-10 mm)

Forel (1902):

Under the name nigriceps, subspecies lividipes, Emery has briefly described a still smaller form from Adelaide and Queensland. He maintains that the clypeus is like the type. He only gave me a female lividipes from Tasmania but with this species the clypeus is throughout not like the type. Its central lobe is trapeze shaped without the lateral concave sides (the sides are rather rounded) and in the middle is edged as with claripes. The sides of the central lobe are convex and not concave as is the case with nigriceps.

On the whole,the specimens from Adelaide and Queensland are identical with specimens from Tasmania, so the lividipes must be considered as a single (unique??) species. The scape is much longer than the almost familiar claripes and protrudes to exactly the posterior border of the head.

Type Material

McArthur and Adams (1996) – Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa Drawer 113, 1 major worker from Australia. 1 medium worker, damaged. Major worker: HW = 2.45 mm, HL = 2.5 mm, PW = 1.5 mm, HT = 2.5mm, TL = 2.0 mm. From Adelaide, D’Albertis collection, 1873, New South Wales.

References

  • Clark, J. 1934c. Ants from the Otway Ranges. Mem. Natl. Mus. Vic. 8: 48-73 (page 71, Subspecies of consobrinus)
  • Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 240, Raised to species)
  • Emery, C. 1887a [1886]. Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia. [part]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. 24[=(2)(4): 209-240 (page 211, (footnote) soldier, worker described)
  • Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 103, Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex))
  • Forel, A. 1914a. Le genre Camponotus Mayr et les genres voisins. Rev. Suisse Zool. 22: 257-276 (page 267, Combination in C. (Myrmoturba))
  • Forel, A. 1914a. Le genre Camponotus Mayr et les genres voisins. Rev. Suisse Zool. 22: 257-276 (page 267, Raised to species)
  • McArthur, A. J. and M. Adams. 1996. A morphological and molecular revision of the Camponotus nigriceps group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Australia. Invertebrate Taxonomy. 10:1-46. (page 41, type-series referred to testaceipes-group (recte terebrans-group))
  • McArthur, A.J. 2014. A guide to Camponotus ants of Australia: 185 pp. South Australian Museum.
  • Taylor, R. W.; Brown, D. R. 1985. Formicoidea. Zool. Cat. Aust. 2:1- 149: 1-149, 30 (page 117, Subspecies of nigriceps)
  • Wheeler, W. M. 1933b. Mermis parasitism in some Australian and Mexican ants. Psyche (Camb.) 40: 20-31 (page 23, Subspecies of consobrinus)