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

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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

Castes

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.
    • 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.
    • Senior synonym of cosensis: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382 (in text).
    • Senior synonym of symiensis: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2013: 382 (in text).
  • cosensis. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) compressus var. cosensis Finzi, 1939c: 159.
    • [First available use of Camponotus maculatus r. sanctus var. cosensis Forel, 1904c: 20 (s.w.) GREECE (Cos I., Rhodes I.); unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 61).]
    • 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 (w.) GREECE.
    • 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).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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  • 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.
  • Collingwood C. A. 1961. The third Danish Expedition to Central Asia. Zoological Results 27. Formicidae (Insecta) from Afghanistan. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening 123: 51-79.
  • 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.. "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.
  • Finzi B. 1930. Hymenopteren aus Palästina und Syrien. (Zoologische Studienreise von R. Ebner 1928 mit Unterstützung der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien.) Formicidae. Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse. Abteilung I 139:22-24.
  • Finzi, B.. "Sopra alcune formiche dell'Isola di Rodi." Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 64 (1932): 24-27.
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  • Forel A. 1910. Glanures myrmécologiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 54: 6-32.
  • Forel, A.. "Miscellanea myrmécologiques." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 12 (1904): 1-52.
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  • Legakis Collection Database
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  • 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.
  • 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.
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  • 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.. "Notes sur les fourmis paléarctiques. II. Fourmis d'Asie Mineure récoltées par M. H. Gadeau de Kerville." Boletín de la Real Sociedad española de Historia natural (Madrid) 21 (1921): 110-116.
  • 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.
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  • Wheeler W. M. and W. M. Mann. 1916. The ants of the Phillips Expedition to Palestine during 1914. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 60: 167-174.
  • Wheeler W. M., and W. M. Mann. 1916. The ants of the Phillips Expedition to Palestine during 1914. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 60: 167-174.