Camponotus radamae

Camponotus radamae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus
Subgenus:	Myrmosaga
Species:	C. radamae
Binomial name
Camponotus radamae Forel, 1891 Specimen labels

Endemic to Madagascar, Camponotus radamae normally occurs in eastern humid forests ranging from the littoral region to mountaintops. The species is arboreal and terrestrial, and nests in rotten logs, tree stumps, dead branches, twigs, and rot pockets above the ground, while its workers rarely forage on the ground and on lower vegetation.

Identification

Rakotonirina and Fisher (2022) - Lateral cephalic margins approximately parallel in full-face view; two apical teeth of mandible closely spaced; lateral cephalic margin posterior to eye level without erect hairs; antennal scape covered with appressed hairs; mesosoma much higher and short, with propodeal dorsum 3 × as long as declivity; petiolar node more or less flattened anteroposteriorly and tapering dorsally.

Camponotus radamae is similar to Camponotus vano in that the two apical teeth of their mandible are closely spaced, but C. vano has a more elongate body in which the mesosoma is very low and long, and its propodeal dorsum is at least four times as long as the declivity surface. In C. radamae the propodeal dorsum is 3 × as long as the declivity.

Keys including this Species

• Key to minor workers of the Malagasy Camponotus, subgenus Myrmosaga

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -14.10295° to -25.59444°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntWeb

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality), Mayotte.

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.

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.

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Worker (minor). Specimen code CASENT0066777. Photographer Erin Prado, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by California Academy of Sciences.

Paralectotype of Camponotus radamae. Worker. Specimen code casent0101347. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Paralectotype of Camponotus radamae. Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0101867. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Lectotype of Camponotus radamae. Worker. Specimen code casent0104639. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ZMHB, Berlin, Germany.

Type of Camponotus hova obscuratus. Worker. Specimen code casent0104641. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by ZMHB, Berlin, Germany.

Nomenclature

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

• radamae. Camponotus maculatus r. radamae Forel, 1891b: 31, pl. 1, fig. 4 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
  • Type-material: lectotype minor worker (by designation of Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 147), 4 paralectotype major workers, 2 paralectotype minor workers.
  • Type-locality: lectotype Madagascar: forests, NE slope of grand massif (L.J.H. Humblot); paralectotypes: with same data, Madagascar: forest, banks of the Ivondrona, nr Tamatavé (C. Keller) (invalid restriction of type-locality by Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1041; no lectotype designated.]
  • Type-depositories: MNHU (lectotype); MHNG, MNHN (paralectotypes).
  • Combination in C. (Myrmoturba): Forel, 1914a: 267;
  • combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 86;
  • combination in C. (Myrmosaga): Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 147.
  • Subspecies of maculatus: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 241 (footnote); Emery, 1895f: 337; Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Forel, 1907g: 89; Forel, 1912k: 165; Forel, 1914d: 250; Arnold, 1922: 628; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1041.
  • Subspecies of hova: Emery, 1920c: 6; Emery, 1925b: 86; Bolton, 1995b: 119.
  • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 249; Emery, 1920b: 255; Santschi, 1923e: 292; Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 147 (redescription).
  • Distribution: Madagascar.

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

Description

Worker

Rakotonirina and Fisher (2022):

Morphological measurements: see Appendix 1 and Ratios of morphometric data for majors and minors

Minor With head in full-face view, lateral margins anterior to eye level parallel, posteriorly rounding evenly towards short-necked rear margin; eye protruding and large (EL/CL: 0.31±0.01; 0.29–0.34), breaking lateral cephalic margin, location of its posterior margin at posterior 1/3 of head (PoOc/CL: 0.29±0.01; 0.27–0.31); frontal carinae widely opened posteriorly (FR/CS: 0.32±0.01; 0.30–0.34); clypeus with blunt or poorly defined anterolateral angle, anteromedian margin broadly convex; mandible with two apical teeth closely spaced; antennal scape relatively long (SL/CS: 1.52±0.07; 1.42–1.64). Mesosoma with weakly convex promesonotum (MPH/ML: 0.34±0.01; 0.31–0.36), posterior portion flat immediately anterior to metanotal groove; metanotal groove weakly visible, propodeal dorsum almost straight, junction of propodeal dorsum and declivity bluntly angulate, propodeal declivity almost 1/2 length of the dorsum. Petiolar node flattened anteroposteriorly, with dorsal margin rounding to anterior margin; tibia of hind leg rounded axially, without basal twist.

First and second gastral tergites without a pair of white spots; erect hairs on lateral margin of head anterior to level of eyes present but absent behind eye level; antennal scape covered with appressed hairs; posterior margin of head with two erect hairs; posterodorsal angle of propodeum with a pair of erect hairs.

Major Differing from minor worker in the following characters: enlarged head (CS: 2.68±0.31; 2.29–3.02; CWb/CL: 0.95±0.04; 0.89–0.99) with broadly concave posterior margin; two apical teeth of mandible normally spaced; antennal scape barely surpassing posterior cephalic margin; robust mesosoma, metanotum distinctly visible, propodeal dorsum almost as long as the height of much more vertical declivity, their junction forming a broad angle; more pairs of erect hairs on promesonotum, junction of propodeal dorsum, declivity, and posterodorsal margin of petiolar node.

Type Material

• Lectotype minor worker, designated by Rakotonirina & Fisher (2022), Madagascar, forêts du versant NE du grand massif (Humblot) AntWeb CASENT0104639 (ZMHB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].
• Paralectotypes: with the following data Forêt des bords de l’Ivondrona, près de Tamatave (Dr Conrad Keller) and forêts du versant NE du grand massif (Humblot): 2 minor workers: 1 from Forêt des bords de l’Ivondrona CASENT0101347 (MHNG); 1 from Forêts du versant NE du grand massif (Humblot) CASENT0101426 (MNHN); 4 major workers: 3 from Forêt des bords de l’Ivondrona CASENT0101346, CASENT0101867 (MHNG), CASENT0101427 (MNHN); 1 from Forêts du versant NE du grand massif (Humblot), CASENT0101432 (MNHN) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].

References

• Arnold, G. 1922. A monograph of the Formicidae of South Africa. Part V. Myrmicinae. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 14: 579-674 (page 628, Subspecies of maculatus)
• Borowiec, L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
• Dalla Torre, K. W. von. 1893. Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 289 pp. (page 249, Status as species)
• Emery, C. 1895g. Mission scientifique de M. Ch. Alluaud dans le territoire de Diego-Suarez (Madagascar-nord) (Avril-août 1893). Formicides. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 39: 336-345 (page 337, Subspecies of maculatus)
• Emery, C. 1920b. Le genre Camponotus Mayr. Nouvel essai de la subdivision en sous-genres. Rev. Zool. Afr. (Bruss.) 8: 229-260 (page 255, Status as species)
• Emery, C. 1920d. Studi sui Camponotus. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 52: 3-48 (page 6, Subspecies of hova)
• Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 86, Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex))
• Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 86, Subspecies of hova)
• 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 31, pl. 1, fig. 4 soldier, worker described)
• Forel, A. 1914a. Le genre Camponotus Mayr et les genres voisins. Rev. Suisse Zool. 22: 257-276 (page 267, Combination in C. (Myrmoturba))
• Rakotonirina, J.C., Fisher, B.L. 2022. Revision of the Malagasy Camponotus subgenus Myrmosaga (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) using qualitative and quantitative morphology. ZooKeys 1098: 1–180 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1098.73223).
• Santschi, F. 1923e. Descriptions de nouveaux Formicides éthiopiens et notes diverses. I. Rev. Zool. Afr. (Bruss.) 11: 259-295 (page 292, Status as species)
• 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 1041, Subspecies of maculatus)