Camponotus sanctus

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Camponotus sanctus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. sanctus
Binomial name
Camponotus sanctus
Forel, 1904

Camponotus sanctus casent0179882 p 1 high.jpg

Camponotus sanctus casent0179882 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found Camponotus sanctus in Iran on the ground in areas with at least moderate rainfall, while Salata et al. (2023) report that in Cyprus it has been collected from agricultural land and urban habitats (pasture at marshes, roadsides, irrigated gardens, parking lots, sowed field, urban parks, gardens, ruderal sites near a citrus orchard, pedestrian roads, Paphos Zoo, plant nurseries), forests and shadowy habitats (pine forest, mixed pine and cedar forest, shadowed valley), open (coast, meadows, phrygana) and riparian habitats (close to lake, reeds, next to dam close to reservoir, riverbanks, marsh area, stream valley).

Identification

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - C. sanctus is a large species of Tanaemyrmex with broad head, moderate ground sculpture (the major worker is mostly shiny), and prismatic hind tibia ventrally with a row of bristles.

The C. sanctus worker is similar to Camponotus oasium syntypes in size and color pattern, but differs from them by its smaller eye, distinctly shorter mesosoma, scape and legs; generally larger and more abundant punctures on gena; feebler ground sculpture; presence of erect setae on ventral head surface; and more abundant pilosity (mesosoma dorsum with 12–14 erect setae in C. sanctus, as opposed to 9–10 in C. oasium). One to four erect setae on the ventral surface of the head were found in all syntypes of C. sanctus, Camponotus maculatus thoracicus sanctoides Forel and Camponotus compressus sanctus var. confellah Santschi, and in examined specimens misidentified by Tohmé and Tohmé (2000: 387) as C. oasium (“oasium” morph), and in all the examined gyne, as well as in 150 workers from 50 localities. Three specimens from one nest series from Mount Hermon lack such setae. They have relatively large eyes and an infuscate body similar to C. compressus sanctus var. confellah. They are similar to Camponotus oasium ninivae Pisarski from Iraq in habitus, but differ from it by the larger eye, longer scape and leg, less accentuated sculpture of the mesosoma pleura, distinctly more abundant body pilosity, and darker color.

This is a variable species, in which were described five varieties (Santschi, 1939) distinguished by head shape and width, eye length, mesosoma length and height, and body color. However, comparison of a larger sample of specimens from Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, some of them identified in the past as C. sanctus and C. compressus sanctus var. sanctoides, and the respective syntypes, showed variation of these features among and within the nest series.

C. sanctus and C. compressus cosensis Finzi are indistinguishable morphologically, and may be synonyms.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Near East (Wheeler and Mann, 1916; Santschi, 1939) to Iran and Afghanistan (Radchenko, 1997b).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 40.48333333° to 31.766667°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

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

Borowiec and Salata (2022), for Greece - Very thermophilous species. Prefers open habitats such as dry hills with sparse vegetation, river wadi, sunny roadsides in oak forests, was noted also from urban parks. Nests under large stones. All collecting sites were at low and mid altitude, from sea level to 810 m.

Castes

Worker

  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 58.5-6, minor, major. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 58.1-2, minor. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 58.7-8, minor, bicoloured form (7), intermediate worker (8) . Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 58.3-4, major. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.

Queen

  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figure 58.11, queen. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 58.9-10, queen. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.

Male

Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figure 58.12, male. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.

Nomenclature

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

  • sanctus. Camponotus maculatus r. sanctus Forel, 1904c: 18 (s.w.q.m.) ISRAEL.
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated, “a large number”).
    • Type-locality: Israel: Jerusalem (T. Schmidt).
    • Type-depositories: MHNG, SIZK.
    • Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 98.
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Forel, 1911d: 359.
    • Subspecies of maculatus: Forel, 1904d: 176; Emery, 1905d: 34; Emery, 1908a: 195; Emery, 1915h: 2; Wheeler, W.M. & Mann, 1916: 174; Hamann & Klemm, 1976: 676 (anachronism).
    • Subspecies of compressus: Emery, 1920c: 6; Emery, 1921b: 208; Santschi, 1921a: 116; Emery, 1925b: 98; Finzi, 1930c: 24; Finzi, 1932: 25; Menozzi, 1933b: 80; Santschi, 1934d: 280; Menozzi, 1936d: 300; Santschi, 1939c: 6; Santschi, 1939d: 83; Aktaç, 1977: 125.
    • [Note: Santschi, 1921a: 116, first records sanctus as a subspecies of compressus, and in the next entry at species-rank, as sanctus var. ionia. In the second entry sanctus is a misprint for samius.]
    • Status as species: Collingwood, 1961a: 76; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 284 (in key); Kugler, J. 1988: 259; Collingwood, 1993b: 195; Bolton, 1995b: 122; Radchenko, 1996b: 1202 (in key). Radchenko, 1997d: 810; Tohmé & Tohmé, 2000: 390 (redescription); Petrov, 2006: 110 (in key); Paknia, et al. 2008: 153; Vonshak, et al. 2009: 39; Ionescu-Hirsch, 2010: 86; Legakis, 2011: 32; Karaman, C. et al. 2011: 191; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 481; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382; Karaman, C. & Aktaç, 2013: 53 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 41; Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, 2014: 137; Lebas, et al. 2016: 156; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 44; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2020: 4; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2022: 132.
    • Senior synonym of cosensis: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382 (in text).
    • Senior synonym of symiensis: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382 (in text).
    • Distribution: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey.
  • cosensis. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) compressus var. cosensis Finzi, 1939c: 159.
    • [First available use of Camponotus maculatus r. sanctus var. cosensis Forel, 1904c: 20 (in text) (s.w.) GREECE (Cos, Rhodes); unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 61).]
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated).
    • Type-localities: Greece: Cos I. (E. von Oertzen), Greece: Rhodes I. (E. von Oertzen).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Finzi, 1932: 25 (q.m.).
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1908a: 195; Emery, 1915h: 2; Emery, 1920c: 6; Emery, 1921b: 208; Santschi, 1921a: 116; Emery, 1925b: 98; Finzi, 1932: 25; Menozzi, 1936d: 300.
    • Subspecies of compressus: Finzi, 1939c: 159; Bolton, 1995b: 94; Legakis, 2011: 29; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 6.
    • Junior synonym of sanctus: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382 (in text).
  • symiensis. Camponotus maculatus subsp. symiensis Forel, 1910a: 26 (s.w.) GREECE (Symi).
    • Type-material: syntype major and minor workers (numbers not stated).
    • Type-locality: Greece: Symi I. (S Sporades) (E. von Oertzen).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 98.
    • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Santschi, 1934d: 280.
    • Subspecies of compressus: Emery, 1920c: 6; Emery, 1925b: 98; Bolton, 1995b: 126; Legakis, 2011: 33; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 6.
    • Junior synonym of sanctus: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382 (in text).

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 = 8.0–15.6, HL = 1.76–4.34, HW = 1.25–4.38, EL = 0.46–0.78, SL = 2.29–3.59, ML = 2.89–5.32, PW = 1.09–2.46, mTbL = 1.88–3.31, hTbL = 2.81–4.65 (n = 120).

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - Large to very large, polymorphic; minor workers HL: 1.611-2.036 (mean 1.842); HW: 0.984-1.365 (mean 1.172); SL: 2.110-2.267 (mean 2.182); EL: 0.457-0.511 (mean 0.490); ML: 2.73-3.07; MW: 0.97-1.27. Color. Head yellow with rusty yellow spots of diffused borders on gena and vertex or completely rusty yellow or yellowish brown, never uniformly yellow, mesosoma and petiolar scale uniformly yellow, gaster bicolor, first two tergites yellow, usually with small brown spot in the middle of first tergite close to posterior margin and large brown spot similarly placed as in the first tergite, rest of tergites brown except yellowish posterior margin, sternites yellow to brownish yellow, often second tergite completely brown, antennae and legs yellow; in intermediate workers as the size increases, the body becomes darker and darker, head from brown to dark brown or partly black, mesosoma completely rusty yellow or dark brown dorsally and rusty yellow laterally or almost completely brown, gaster mostly brown with yellowish brown anterior slope of the first tergite, antennal scapus brown, legs from uniformly yellow to mostly yellowish brown or brown. Head. Very elongate, 1.5-1.6 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 to slightly crenulate, on sides anterior clypeal margin shallowly 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 obtuse keel, whole surface with microreticulation, surface strongly shiny to slightly dull, covered with sparse and short appressed hairs, anterior margin in the middle with 5-7 very long setae, on sides with few short additional setae, central plate with 2-3 pairs of erected setae, grouping on sides and base of clypeus. Head microreticulate, sculpture in posterior half and sides of head tends to form transverse or circular striation, behind eyes microsculpture sometimes diffused, background shiny to slightly dull, covered with sparse and short appressed pubescence, appears partly unhaired, frons along sides with row of 3-4 long erected setae, vertex and central part of occipitum with 2-3 pairs of long erected setae, gena and sides of head lacking erected setae, ventral side of head usually without, or with 1-3 short to moderately long erected setae. Scape very elongate, thin, 1.6- 2.2 times as long as width of head, slightly, regularly widened from base to apex, its surface microreticulate but shiny, with short and sparse appressed pubescence. Funicular segments elongate, thin, first segment approximately 3.8 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, 0.27 length of head. Mandibles stout, diffusely microreticulate and punctate, surface shiny. Mesosoma. Elongate 2.4- 2.8 times as long as wide, distinctly sculptured tending to form longitudinal, transverse and oblique striation, surface shiny. In lateral view dorsum form regular arch, without mesonotal groove, propodeum never with shallow concavity, posteriorly very broadly rounded. Surface of mesosomal dorsum with short and scarce, hardly visible depressed hairs, lateral sides partly unhaired, pronotum with 2, mesonotum up to two propodeum 1-3 very long erected setae, number of erected setae not or only slightly increases with the size of the ant. Waist and gaster. Petiole in form of broad, very thick 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 2-6 long erected setae. Gaster shorter than mesosoma, tergites with fine transverse microstriation, interspaces without additional microsculpture thus surface of gaster appears strongly shiny, covered with short and scarce appressed hairs; first tergite with a pair of very long erected setae centrally and a row of 4 long setae close to posterior margin, two subsequent tergites with 2-4 long setae in front of the middle and similar row of 4-6 setae close to posterior margin, moderately elongate, appressed hairs on posterior margin of tergites moderately long, reaching to 1/2-4/5 length of the transparent margin. Legs. Elongate and thin, hind femora only slightly shorter than mesosoma, surface of legs covered with very sparse appressed hairs, inner margin of tibiae in almost 3/4 length with 4-7 thorns. Ventral surface of fore femora with 4-6 long erected setae.

Major workers: HL: 3.700-4.175 (mean 4.046); HW: 3.575-3.950 (mean 3.184); SL: 2.700-3.453 (mean 3.184); EL: 0.635-0.746 (mean 0.692); ML: 4.31-4.96; MW: 2.08-2.37. Head always dark colored, dark brown to black, mandibles black basally reddish apically, scapus mostly brown to black except pale base and apex, funicle from yellow to rusty yellow, last 1-2 segments sometimes infuscate to brown, mesosoma dorsally brown, laterally gradually yellowish brown to yellow, in the darkest specimens completely brown to almost black except paler sutures of segments, petiole and legs uniformly yellow, or coxa yellowish brown, femora yellowish brown basally and brown apically, tibiae and tarsi brown, external margin of tibiae sometimes almost black, tergites brown to black except yellowish posterior transparent margin, first gastral tergite often partly yellow to rusty yellow, sternites yellow to partly brown. Head stouter, approximately as long as wide, widest in basal ¼ length, sides softly rounded and converging anterad, posterior margin deeply concave, occipital corners strongly protruding posterad; rectangular anterior plate of clypeus moderately emarginate on sides thus anterior corners slightly angulated, central plate of clypeus head with 4-6 pairs of erected setae, gular area usually without or at most with 1-5 short to long erected setae. Scape proportionally shorter, 0.8-0.9 times as long as width of head. Eyes proportionally smaller, 0.17 length of head; mesosoma stouter, 2.1-2.2 times as long as wide, in profile forming more convex arch, propodeum with less obtusely posterior angle. Pronotum with 2-4, mesonotum 2-4, propodeum 3-8, petiolar crest 4-6 very long erected setae. Lateral surface of hind tibia depressed, with shallow longitudinal channel. Ventral surface of fore femora with 4-5 long erected setae.

Queen

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - body predominantly brown to black, sides of mesosoma and basal part of gaster partly yellowish to reddish, legs partly yellow to yellowish-red.

Male

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - body predominantly brownish to black, legs reddish brown to brown.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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