Camponotus oertzeni

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Camponotus oertzeni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. oertzeni
Binomial name
Camponotus oertzeni
Forel, 1889

Camponotus oertzeni casent0249625 p 1 high.jpg

Camponotus oertzeni casent0249625 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

In Greece, this is a common species, previously commonly confused with Camponotus aethiops. Camponotus oertzeni is known from all Greek provinces, and is more thermophilous than C. aethiops. Additionally, in contrast to C. aethiops, it is rarely observed in agricultural habitats. It prefers open habitats like pastures, roadsides, mountain meadows but was occasionally collected also in luminous deciduous and coniferous forests. Nests were located under large stones. Most collecting sites were from mid and high altitude from 500 to 1600 m, but the species was regularly collected also in low altitudes. (Borowiec & Salata 2021, 2022). This species is a host for the inquiline Camponotus ruseni in Türkiye (Karaman & Kiran, 2022).

Photo Gallery

  • Karaman & Kiran (2022), Figure 2. Mixed nest of Camponotus oertzeni and C. universitatis from Akkuş-Yolbaşı Village, Ordu province (Turkey).

Identification

Salata and Borowiec 2018, figs. 14–15. Setation of posterior margin of gastral tergites (14) Camponotus oertzeni, (15) Camponotus aethiops. Photos by L. Borowiec.

Camponotus oertzeni is very similar to Camponotus aethiops. Both species are very variable in colour of body and appendices. In C. aethiops predominate populations with dark brown to almost black body and brown legs and antennae while in C. oertzeni predominate populations with brown body and reddish-yellow legs and antennae. In C. oertzeni often occur pale specimens with reddish-yellow head and mesosoma and yellowish legs, while in C. aethiops the palest specimens are at most pale brown. The best distinguishing character is setation of posterior margin of gastral tergites. In C. oertzeni setae of short apical transverse row are very short, never extending to the apical margin of the tergite, often reaching at most half length of apical marginal edge of the tergite while in C. aethiops setae of the short apical transverse row usually reach or even slightly exceed apical margin of the tergite.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 41.295° to 36.440833°.

 
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Canary Islands, Greece (type locality), Iran, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Türkiye.

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

Worker

Camponotus oertzeni F11-12.jpgCamponotus oertzeni F13.jpg
.

Images from AntWeb

Camponotus oertzeni casent0249625 h 2 high.jpg
Worker. Specimen code casent0249625. Photographer Shannon Hartman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.
Camponotus andrius casent0910195 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus andrius casent0910195 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus andrius casent0910195 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus andrius casent0910195 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Camponotus andrius. Worker. Specimen code casent0910195. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Male

  • Karaman & Kiran (2022), Figure 3. Male of Camponotus ruseni (A, C) and C. oertzeni (B, D).

Nomenclature

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

  • oertzeni. Camponotus rubripes r. oertzeni Forel, 1889: 263 (s.w.) GREECE (Samos).
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Greece: Samos I., nr Marathokampos, 1887 (E. von Oertzen).
    • Type-depositories: MHNG, MIZW.
    • Finzi, 1939c: 158 (q.m.).
    • Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 97.
    • Subspecies of maculatus: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 241 (footnote), 246; Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Emery, 1898a: 225; Emery, 1898c: 148; Emery, 1908a: 200; Forel, 1911e: 290; Emery, 1915h: 4.
    • Subspecies of aethiops: Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 97; Santschi, 1934d: 280; Menozzi, 1936d: 302; Finzi, 1939c: 158.
    • Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 284 (in key); Collingwood, 1993b: 195; Bolton, 1995b: 115; Radchenko, 1997d: 809; Petrov, 2006: 109 (in key); Paknia, et al. 2008: 153; Karaman, C. et al. 2011: 190; Karaman, M.G. 2011b: 71; Legakis, 2011: 31; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 480; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 7; Karaman, C. & Aktaç, 2013: 53 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 38 (see note in bibliography); Lebas, et al. 2016: 152; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 5; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 44; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2022: 127.
    • Senior synonym of andrius: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
    • Senior synonym of kappariensis: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
    • Senior synonym of karawajewi: Radchenko, 1997d: 809.
    • Material of the unavailable name clara Karavaiev referred here by Radchenko, 1997d: 809.
    • Distribution: Greece, Iran, Serbia, Turkey.
  • andrius. Camponotus oertzeni var. andrius Dalla Torre, 1893: 246.
    • [First available use of Camponotus rubripes r. oertzeni var. andrius Forel, 1889: 265 (s.w.) GREECE (Andros); unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 61).]
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Greece: Andros I., 1887 (E. von Oertzen).
    • Type-depositories: MHNG, MIZW.
    • Menozzi, 1936d: 302 (q.l.); Finzi, 1939c: 158 (q.m.).
    • Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 97.
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Emery, 1908a: 200; Emery, 1915h: 4; Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 97; Finzi, 1928c: 791; Menozzi, 1936d: 302; Finzi, 1939c: 158.
    • Subspecies of oertzeni: Bolton, 1995b: 85.
    • Status as species: Radchenko, 1997d: 807; Legakis, 2011: 28; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 471; Borowiec, L. 2014: 26; Lebas, et al. 2016: 152.
    • Junior synonym of oertzeni: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
  • kappariensis. Camponotus oertzeni var. kappariensis Dalla Torre, 1893: 246.
    • [First available use of Camponotus rubripes r. oertzeni var. kappariensis Forel, 1889: 264 (s.w.) GREECE; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 61).]
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Greece: Sporades, Kappari I., 1887 (E. von Oertzen).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Emery, 1908a: 200; Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 97.
    • Subspecies of oertzeni: Bolton, 1995b: 106.
    • Subspecies of aethiops: Legakis, 2011: 30 (error).
    • Junior synonym of oertzeni: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
  • karawajewi. Camponotus karawajewi Radchenko, 1996b: 1201 (s.w.) (diagnosis in key) AZERBAIJAN.
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated), 1 syntype queen.
    • Type-locality: Azerbaijan: Gouv. Baku, Bez. Lenkoran, forest nr border post no. 4, 27.vii.1906 (A. Shelkovnikov).
    • Type-depository: SIZK.
    • Unnecessary replacement name for Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) maculatus subsp. aethiops var. clara Karavaiev, 1926e: 190; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Camponotus (Colobopsis) karawaiewi Menozzi, 1926e: 96.]
    • Junior synonym of oertzeni: Radchenko, 1997d: 809.

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

Description

Worker

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - Moderately large to large, polymorphic; minor workers HL: 1.151-1.246 (mean 1.198); HW: 0.777-0.875 (mean 0.836); SL: 1.238-1.351 (mean 1.294); EL: 0.333- 0.349 (mean 0.340); ML: 1.90-2.04; MW: 0.79-0.83. Color. Body predominantly pale brown to brown, only occasionally black, often head brown and mesosoma yellowish to reddish brown, or mesosoma bicoloured with pronotum yellowish to rusty and mesonotum and propodeum reddish brown, in the palest pale specimens head yellowish with reddish brown spot on occipitum, mesosoma and petiolar scale completely yellow, gaster usually brown to dark brown, occasionally black, in the palest form basal half of gaster yellow; antennae usually uniformly yellow to pale brown, only in the darkest specimens with brown scapus and yellowish brown funiculus, legs usually pale colored, yellow to reddish, only in dark forms with obscure femora and tibiae but never black; brown forms occur mostly in continental Greece, especially in mountains while on Aegean Islands common are forms with mostly pale mesosoma and appendices. Head. Elongate, 1.4- 1.5 times as long as wide, sides in front of eyes straight and parallel, behind eyes regularly softly rounded, posterior margin rounded or in the middle straight. Clypeus pentagonal, in the middle forms rectangular plate protruding anterad, its anterior margin straight, simple or slightly crenulate, on sides anterior clypeal margin deeply emarginate, sides of clypeus strongly converging posterad, straight, posterior margin straight but in the middle shallowly emarginate by frontal triangle, clypeal plate along middle with distinct obtuse keel, whole surface distinctly microreticulated, surface slightly dull, covered with sparse and short appressed hairs, anterior margin in the middle with 6 very long setae, on sides with few short additional setae, central plate with several long erected setae. Head distinctly microreticulate, sculpture in posterior half and sides of head often tends to form transverse or circular striation, background slightly dull, covered with sparse and short appressed pubescence, appears partly unhaired, whole surface including gena, sides of head and occipitum with numerous moderately long to long erected setae, ventral side of head with several moderately long to long erected setae. Scape very elongate, thin, 1.5-1.6 times as long as width of head, slightly, regularly widened from base to apex, its surface microreticulate, slightly dull, with short and sparse appressed pubescence only apex of scapi with slightly decumbent hairs. Funicular segments elongate, thin, first segment approximately three times as long as wide and 1.2-1.3 times as long as second segment, third segment distinctly longer than second, the rest of funicular segments very elongate. Eyes large, elongate oval, 0.28 length of head. Mandibles stout, microreticulate and punctate, surface slightly shiny. Mesosoma. Elongate 2.3-2.5 times as long as wide, dorsally and laterally distinctly sculptured , tending to form longitudinal and oblique striation and partly also microreticulation, surface indistinctly shiny. In lateral view dorsum form relatively regular arch, without mesonotal groove, propodeum never with shallow concavity, posterior face forms with dorsum obtuse angle. Surface of mesosomal dorsum with short and scarce, hardly visible depressed hairs, lateral sides partly unhaired, pronotum with 4-10, mesonotum 2-6, propodeum 2-5 very long erected setae, number of erected setae increases with the size of the ant. Waist and gaster. Petiolar in form of broad, thin scale with convex anterior and flat posterior face, apex regularly rounded; surface with distinct transverse striation covered with short and sparse appressed hairs, apical crest with 4-6 very long erected setae. Gaster shorter than mesosoma, tergites with transverse microstriation, interspaces without additional microsculpture thus surface of gaster appears indistinctly shiny, covered with short and scarce appressed hairs; all tergites with several very long erected setae, row of setae on posterior margin composed with elongate hairs short, mostly reaching only to half length of the transparent margin, never to posterior margin of tergite. Legs. Moderately long and thin, hind femora shorter than mesosoma, surface of legs covered with sparse appressed to slightly decumbent hairs, inner margin of tibiae in apical 2/3 length with row of thorns. Ventral surface of fore femora with 3-5 long erected setae.

Major workers: HL: 2.533-2.750 (mean 2.654); HW: 2.483-2.666 (mean 2.579); SL: 2.133-2.310 (mean 2.232); EL: 0.492-0.558 (mean 0.539); ML: 3.15-3.56; MW: 1.70-1.80. In body color and sculpture similar to minor workers but surface duller than in minor workers, especially on head and sides of mesosoma. Head stouter, approximately as long as wide, widest in basal ¼ length, sides softly rounded and converging anterad, posterior margin concave; anterior margin of clypeus distinctly crenulate, central plate of clypeus head with more numerous erected setae, gular area with more than 10 short to long erected setae. Scape proportionally shorter, 0.8-0.9 times as long as width of head. Eyes proportionally smaller, 0.20 length of head; mesosoma stouter, 1.9-2.0 times as long as wide, in profile forming more convex arch, propodeum with more angulate posterior angle. Setation of all mesosomal parts more numerous. Ventral surface of fore femora with up to 14 long erected setae.

Queen

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - body predominantly brown to dark brown.

Type Material

Salata and Borowiec (2018) - Camponotus oertzeni, syntype (w): C. rubripes, r. Oertzeni, Forel, Type, Samos Isl, b. Maratokampos, v. Oertzen, type; r. C. oertzeni; Typus; Coll. A. Forel.; oertzeni, 161; ANTWEB, CASENT0249625 (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève); C. andrius, syntype (w.): C. oertzeni, Forel, r. andrius, Ile Andros, leg. Oertzen; v. Andrius, Forel; Sp. l. Maculatus, (Suite) Fabr.; r. l. Oertzeni, (Suite) Forel;G. Camponotus; S. G. Myrmentoma, Suite For.; Typus; Coll., A. Forel; ANTWEB, CASENT0910194 (MHNG); C. andrius, syntype (w): C. oertzeni, Forel, v. andrius, Ile Andros, (v. Oertzen); Typus; Coll., A. Forel; andrius, 161; ANTWEB, CASENT0910195 (MHNG); C. kappariensis, syntypes (2w): rubripes, C. oertzeni, Forel, v. Kappariensis, Ile Kappari, Sudlichen Sporaden, v. Oertzen; Typus; v. Kappariensis

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
  • Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
  • Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2018. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Samos Island, Greece. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-13.
  • Bracko G., K. Kiran, C. Karaman, S. Salata, and L. Borowiec. 2016. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Greek Thrace. Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7945. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7945
  • Collingwood, C. A. 1993. A Comparitive Study of the Ant Fauna of Five Greek Islands. Biologia Gallo-hellenica. 20,1:191-197
  • Collingwood, C. A.. "A comparative study of the ant fauna of five Greek islands." Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 20 (1993): 191-197.
  • Czechowski W., A. Radchenko, W. Czechowska and K. Vepsäläinen. 2012. The ants of Poland with reference to the myrmecofauna of Europe. Fauna Poloniae 4. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 1-496 pp
  • 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
  • Emery, C.. "Escursioni zoologiche del Dr. Enrico Festa nell'Isola di Rodi. XII. Formiche." Bollettino del Museo di Zoologia ed Anatomia Comparatadella Reale Università di Torino 30 (1915): 1-7.
  • Forel, A.. "Ameisen aus den Sporaden, den Cykladen und Griechenland, gesammelt 1887 von Herrn von Oertzen." Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift 32 (1889): 255-265.
  • Hamann H. H. F., and W. Klemm. 1976. Ergebnisse der von Dr. O. Paget und Dr. E. Kritscher auf Rhodos durchgeführten zoologischen Exkursionen. XVI. Formicidae. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien 80: 669-679.
  • Karaman C., N. Aktac, and K. Kiran. 2009. Ants of the genus CamponotusMayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Kaz Mountains, Turkey, with descriptions of sexuals of Camponotus candiotes Emery, 1894 and Camponotus ionius Emery, 1920. Tubitak 35(2): 183-197.
  • Legakis Collection Database
  • Paknia O., A. Radchenko, H. Alipanah, and M. Pfeiffer. 2008. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Iran. Myrmecological News 11: 151-159.
  • Salata S., and L Borowiec. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.
  • Santschi, F.. "Fourmis d'une croisière." Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique (Bruxelles) 74 (1934): 273-282.
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