Camponotus rebeccae

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Camponotus rebeccae
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. rebeccae
Binomial name
Camponotus rebeccae
Forel, 1913

Camponotus rebeccae casent0910432 p 1 high.jpg

Camponotus rebeccae casent0910432 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Essentially nothing as been published concerning the biology and ecology of this species. Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on the ground in a moderate to low rainfall area. Salata et al. (2023) note that in Cyprus Camponotus rebeccae has been collected from an urban garden as well as more humid and shadowy habitats such as a forest along a riverbank, close to a stream, in the Baths of Aphrodite bath cave and botanical garden, bushes and on the ground in a shadow valley as well as riverbanks inside deciduous forests.

Identification

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - According to Radchenko (1997c), C. rebeccae belongs to the Camponotus gestroi species complex in the Camponotus lateralis species group, together with Camponotus gestroi, Camponotus kurdistanicus, and Camponotus vogti. C. rebeccae differs from the three other species by the petiolar scale with anterior surface strongly convex dorsally (as in Camponotus dalmaticus and Camponotus lateralis), as opposed to being slightly convex and meeting the posterior surface at an acute angle, and by the scale distinctly narrower: in major workers with HW > 1.5 mm the ratio of petiolar scale width to head width ranges 0.30–0.35 (n = 20) in C. rebeccae, as opposed to 0.40–0.44 (n = 20) in C. gestroi and 0.39–0.42 (n = 5) in C. kurdistanicus and C. vogti.

Almost entirely black specimens of three nest series from the central coastal plain (Israel) are provisionally considered as belonging to C. rebeccae because they are morphologically similar to the paler specimens of this species, and because Cagniant (1996) recorded similar variability in Morocco, with dark colored “littoral populations” of the usually bicolorous (red and black) C. lateralis. However, the dark specimens fit the description of C. lateralis ebneri Finzi in Ebner (1930) and key out to this species in Tohmé (1969a). Comparison with types may clarify their affinities.

Seifert, 2019: See key. Within the species having significant reddish pigmentation components on vertex, C. rebeccae is well characterized by the closely spaced ripples on dorsum of 1st gaster tergite (RipD 7.99 ± 0.50 μm) and the rather long dorsal propodeal plane. Minor workers are depicted in AntWeb.org under CASENT0911697 and CASENT0914423 and a major worker under CASENT0911696. The typical coloration is head, mesosoma and petiole medium to dark reddish brown and gaster blackish.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Endemic to the Near East.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 36.86° to 32.13333333°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Cyprus (type locality), Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria (type locality), 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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Habitat

Borowiec and Salata (2022), for Greece - Rare, thermophilous species. Collected on leafs of fig trees inside olive plantations, on leafs of deciduous trees in stream valleys, on leafs of single deciduous tree inside pine forests, on leafs of deciduous tree in rocky gorge with deciduous trees, on leafs of fig tree in roadsides, and on herbs around an artificial lake.

Biology

No colony or nest collections, though likely ground-nesting, under stones, like in other species of the Camponotus lateralis complex.

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • rebeccae. Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) lateralis var. rebeccae Forel, 1913d: 436 (s.) SYRIA.
    • Type-material: syntype major workers (number not stated).
    • Type-locality: Syria: Damascus (U. Sahlberg).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Menozzi, 1933b: 81 (q.m.).
    • Combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925a: 69; Emery, 1925b: 120.
    • Subspecies of lateralis: Emery, 1925a: 69; Emery, 1925b: 120; Menozzi, 1933b: 81; Bolton, 1995b: 120.
    • Status as species: Radchenko, 1996b: 1197 (in key); Radchenko, 1997b: 707; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 39; Ionescu-Hirsch, 2010: 85; Borowiec, L. 2014: 40; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 138; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 43; Seifert, 2019b: 21; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2020: 3; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2022: 104.
    • Senior synonym of cypridis: Seifert, 2019b: 21.
    • Distribution: Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey.
  • cypridis. Camponotus (Myrmentoma) lateralis var. cypridis Santschi, 1939c: 6 (s.w.q.m.) CYPRUS.
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Cyprus: Yermasozue River, 20.i.1931 (G.A. Mavromoustakis).
    • Type-depository: NHMB.
    • Subspecies of lateralis: Bolton, 1995b: 95.
    • Junior synonym of rebeccae: Seifert, 2019b: 21.

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 = 4.0–7.7, HL = 0.98–1.76, HW = 0.82–1.88, EL = 0.24–0.39, SL = 1.07–1.45, ML = 1.41–2.34, PW = 0.70–1.25, mTbL = 0.73–1.09, hTbL = 1.00–1.52 (n = 20).

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - Moderately large, polymorphic; minor worker: HL: 0.917-1.032 (mean 0.963); HW: 0.762-0.873 (mean 0.811); SL: 0.952-1.032 (mean 1.005); EL: 0.235-0.271 (mean 0.254); ML: 1.39-1.51; MW: 0.65-0.79. Color. Head, mesosoma and petiolar scale rusty yellow to reddish yellow, often central part of head with obscure spot; in dark specimens dorsum of mesosomal dorsum with obscure, brown spots of diffused borders but head and mesosoma never partly black; gaster brown to almost black, often frontal face of first tergite paler than rest of gaster; antennal scapus yellow to yellowish red, funicle mostly yellow to reddish yellow, usually only apical 1-3 segments partly infuscate, occasionally 4-5 apical segments infuscate; legs yellowish to rusty yellow, in dark specimens coxa and femora yellowish brown, tibiae mostly brown, in extreme case legs mostly brown. Head. Stout, 1.2 times longer than wide, sides in front of eyes almost straight and slightly converging anterad, behind eyes regularly rounded, posterior margin convex. Clypeus trapezoidal, with anterior margin straight to slightly convex, simple, without median emargination, posterior margin in the middle emarginate by frontal triangle, whole surface with diffused microreticulation, appears shiny, covered with short and sparse appressed to decumbent hairs, anterior margin with a row of 6-8 long setae centrally and 2-4 short setae on sides, whole Clypeus with several moderately long erected setae grouping on sides and base of clypeus. Head diffusely to distinctly microsculptured, frontal area microreticulate, occipital and temporal area mostly with transverse or circular striation, surface with short and sparse appressed pubescence, appears shiny, gena, frons and anterior part of occipitum with short to long erected setae, only occipital and temporal areas without setae, ventral side of head without or with 2-4 moderately long to long erected setae. Scape moderately elongate, 1.2-1.3 times as long as width of head, at apex only slightly wider than in base, basal part with slightly marked horizontal extension, surface diffusely to distinctly microreticulate, shiny, with short and sparse appressed pubescence, without decumbent hairs or erected setae. Funicular segments elongate, thin, first segment 2.2 times as long as wide and 1.7 times as long as second segment, third segment distinctly longer than second, the rest of funicular segments distinctly longer than broad. Eyes moderately big, almost round, 0.26 length of head. Mandibles stout, diffusely microreticulate, surface shiny with numerous erected setae. Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, 1.9-2.2 times as long as wide, dorsally and laterally distinctly sculptured tending to form transverse, longitudinal, oblique and concentric striation, on sides of pronotum microstriation often diffused, whole surface shiny. In lateral view dorsum with distinct mesonotal groove, propodeum with flat dorsum which is 1.6-1.7 times as long as wide, posterior margin truncate, in lateral view posterior face and dorsum form distinct angle posterior face not excavate. Surface of mesosoma with very short and scarce depressed hairs, pronotum posterolaterally with 0-4 long erected setae, mesonotum with 2 long and sometimes also 2 short erected setae, propodeum close to posterior margin with 2-4(6) short to moderately long erected setae; the number of erected setae increases with body length, the longest setae with length to 0.238. Waist and gaster. Petiolar scale thick, broad in anterior view, PI = 2.2- 2.3, with very convex anterior and flat posterior face, apex rounded; anterior and posterior surface transversely striate, without pubescence or with few very short and very scarce appressed hairs, apical crest with 4-6 very long erected setae. Gaster shorter than mesosoma, tergites with deep and dense transverse microstriation, surface shiny, covered with short and very scarce appressed hairs; each tergite with row of, very long erected setae across middle and close to posterior margin, sometimes with few additional erected setae between main rows. Legs. Elongate hind femora shorter than mesosoma, surface of legs covered with short to moderately long and sparse appressed hairs, inner margin of hind tibiae with row of 1-3 thorns. Ventral surface of fore femora with 1-3 long erected setae.

Major worker: Large, HL: 1.460-1.772 (mean 1.569); HW: 1.381-1.524 (mean 1.515); SL: 1.175-1.286 (mean 1.230); EL: 0.351-0.410 (mean 0.372); ML: 1.92-2.03; MW: 0.99- 1.08. Body color and sculpture as in minor workers but predominate specimens with obscure spot on frons of head with legs usually darker , brown to dark brown, sometimes also antennal scapi partly infuscate, in extreme dark form anterior half of head, mesonotal and propodeum and gaster black. Head stouter, approximately as long as wide, sides of head softly convex, posterior margin straight. Anterior margin of clypeus slightly serrulate, in the middle sometimes with deep triangular or semicircular emargination. Scapus shorter, 0.7-0.8 times as long as width of head. Eyes relatively smaller, 0.24 times as long of head. Frons and genae with large setose punctures, setation on head and whole dorsum more numerous than in minor workers, but occipital and temporal part lacking erected setae, ventral sides of head with 6-8 short to long erected setae, petiolar crest with 6-8 very long setae. Propodeal flat dorsum shorter, approximately 1.4-1.5 times as long as wide. Ventral posterior surface of fore femora with 4-5 long erected setae.

Type Material

Seifert, 2019: Investigated was a type worker of Camponotus rebeccae from Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève with missing gaster, labeled ‘Typus’, ‘Damascus’, ‘U.Sahlb.’, ‘Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) lateralis Ol. v. Rebeccae type For.’, ‘CASENT0910432’.

Investigated were four syntype workers of Camponotus lateralis cypridis from Cyprus labeled ‘Camponotus (Myrmentoma) lateralis Ol. v. cypridis Sants’, ‘Chypre 20.7.31 Yermasogia Riv. Movromostakis.’ and ‘Type’, Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel.

Taxonomic Notes

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - Until more material is collected, one media worker (TL = 5.6 mm, HW = 1.21 mm) with very high propodeal dorsum exceeding the highest point of mesonotum is here considered as an extreme variation. In addition, it has the first gastral segment testaceous (whereas the following segments are black).

C. rebeccae is similar to C. lateralis, from which it differs only in the convex propodeal dorsum, as opposed to the concave or posteriorly flat propodeal dorsum, and by a shallow metanotal groove, as opposed to a deep metanotal groove in C. lateralis.

Seifert, 2019 - Running the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève type specimen of Camponotus rebeccae as wild-card in a 5-class LDA considering all RAV-corrected characters except RipD (because of missing gaster), it is allocated with p = 0.9965 to the cluster of 36 ants given in Tab. 2. The posterior probabilities of the type specimen of belonging to other species were: p = 0.0035 for C. lateralis morph 1 and each p = 0.0000 for C. lateralis morph 2, Camponotus anatolicus and Camponotus honaziensis (for sample size see Tab. 2).

Considering all NUMOBAT characters and running the syntypes of Camponotus lateralis cypridis as wild-cards in a LDA considering the five entities presented in Tab. 2, they all were allocated to the C. rebeccae cluster with p = 1.000.

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.
  • Forel, A.. "Fourmis de la faune méditerranéenne récoltées par MM. U. et J. Sahlberg." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 21 (1913): 427-438.
  • Ionescu-Hirsch A. 2009. An annotated list of Camponotus of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key and descriptions of new species. ISRAEL JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY 39: 57–98.
  • Pashaei Rad S., B. Taylor, R. Torabi, E. Aram, G. Abolfathi, R. Afshari, F. Borjali, M. Ghatei, F. Hediary, F. Jazini, V. Heidary Kiah, Z. Mahmoudi, F. Safariyan, and M. Seiri. 2018. Further records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 64(2): 145-159.
  • Radchenko A. G. 1997. A review of ants of the subgenus Myrmentoma, Genus Camponotus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), from Asian Palaearctic. Entomological Review 77(8): 1050-1059.
  • Salata S., L. Borowiec, and A.Trichas. 2018. Taxonomic Revision of the Cretan Fauna of the Genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with Notes on the Endemism of Ant Fauna of Crete. Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 68(4): 769-808.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. A new species of the ant genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804 from Crete (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 789: 139–159.
  • 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.
  • Santschi, F.. "Trois notes sur quelques fourmis du Musée Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique." Bulletin du Musée Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique 15 (1939): 1-15.
  • Seifert B. 2019. A taxonomic revision of the members of the Camponotus lateralis species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Europe, Asia Minor and Caucasia. Soil Organisms 91:7–32.
  • Tohme G. 1996. Formicidae. Etude de la diversité biologique n° 4 . Ministère de l’Agriculture à Beyrouth (Eds.). P85-87.
  • Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.
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