Camponotus strangulatus

Camponotus strangulatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus
Subgenus:	Myrmosaga
Species:	C. strangulatus
Binomial name
Camponotus strangulatus Santschi, 1911 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Camponotus hova maculatoides Emery, 1920

Endemic to the Malagasy region, C. strangulatus occurs in Grand Comore and Moheli of the Comoros islands, in Mayotte, in Aldabra of the Seychelles, and in Madagascar. In the Comoros and Mayotte this species occupies mangrove and coastal dry forest scrub, while in the Seychelles it also inhabits forest habitats. Regarding the distribution of C. strangulatus in Madagascar, it is found in rainforest and littoral rainforest in the north, in dry forest in the west, in spiny forest and thicket in the south, in montane rainforest and Uapaca woodland on the south-central high plateau, and in human modified habitats in its southern range. It also occurs in littoral vegetation on Juan de Nova Island. Due to its capacity to colonize different types of habitats, C. strangulatus also builds nests in a large array of microhabitats such as rotten logs and rotten sticks on the ground, dead branches and dead twigs above the ground, under stones, and in the ground. Workers forage on the forest floor, in leaf litter, and on lower vegetation.

Identification

Rakotonirina and Fisher (2022) - With head in full-face view, lateral cephalic margins anterior to eye level parallel, lacking erect hairs; in oblique profile, three pairs of erect hairs arranged successively from level of anterior ocular margin towards posterior cephalic margin; clypeus with distinct anterolateral corner; in profile, junction of propodeal dorsum to declivity rounded; petiole nodelike and not anteroposteriorly compressed.

Camponotus strangulatus may be difficult to distinguish from Camponotus tapia and Camponotus atimo but the dorsum of the head in the latter species bears four or more pairs of erect hairs arranged successively from the level of the anterior ocular margin towards the posterior cephalic margin.

Keys including this Species

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

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -20.06666667° to -20.06666667°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Afrotropical Region: Comoros.
Malagasy Region: Madagascar (type locality), Mayotte, Seychelles.

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.

Nomenclature

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

• strangulatus. Camponotus maculatus st. strangulatus Santschi, 1911e: 129, fig. 3 (s.w.q.) MADAGASCAR.
  • Type-material: lectotype major worker (by designation of Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 164).
  • Type-locality: lectotype Madagascar: Vitikampi, Morondava, 1899 (G. Grandidier).
  • [Notes (i): other original syntype locality: Madagascar: Adampy, nr Vohemar, 1899 (G. Grandidier) (invalid restriction of type-locality by Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1042; no lectotype designated); (ii) original syntype series contained major and minor workers, and a queen.]
  • Type-depository: NHMB (lectotype).
  • Combination in C. (Myrmosaga): Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 164.
  • Synonym of maculatoides: Emery, 1920c: 6.
  • [Note: Emery gives maculatoides as senior synonym, but strangulatus has priority (Bolton, 1995b: 125).]
  • Subspecies of maculatus: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1042; Bolton, 1995b: 125.
  • Status as species: Olson & Ward, 1996: 164; Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 164 (redescription).
  • Senior synonym of maculatoides: Bolton, 1995b: 125; Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 164.
  • Distribution: Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Seychelles.
• maculatoides. Camponotus (Myrmoturba) hova subsp. maculatoides Emery, 1920c: 6.
  • [First available use of Camponotus maculatus r. hova var. maculatoides Forel, 1897c: 200 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
  • Type-material: lectotype minor worker (by designation of Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 164), 3 paralectotype major workers, 1 paralectotype minor worker.
  • Type-locality: lectotype Madagascar: Nossi- Bé (A. Voeltzkow); paralectotypes with same data.
  • Type-depositories: NHMB (lectotype); MHNG, NHMB (paralectotypes).
  • Combination in C. (Dinomyrmex): Santschi, 1921f: 312.
  • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1898a: 225; Forel, 1907e: 14; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1041.
  • Subspecies of hova: Emery, 1920c: 6; Emery, 1925b: 86.
  • Synonym of strangulatus: Emery, 1920c: 6; Emery, 1925b: 86.
  • [Note: Emery gives maculatoides as senior synonym, but strangulatus has priority (Bolton, 1995b: 125).]
  • Junior synonym of strangulatus: Bolton, 1995b: 125; Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 164.
• maculatosylvaticus. Camponotus rubripes r. maculatus var. maculatosylvaticus Forel, 1886f: 143.
  • Nomen nudum (and unavailable (infrasubspecific) name)) (Bolton, 1995b: 109)).

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 In full-face view, head sides anterior to eye level parallel, converging strongly towards posterior margin behind eye level; eye convex (EL/CS: 0.28±0.01; 0.26–0.30), breaking lateral cephalic margin, level of its posterior margin located approximately at posterior 1/3 of head (PoOc/CL: 0.27±0.01; 0.26–0.29); frontal carinae close, distance between them equal to or smaller than their smallest distance to eye (FR/CS: 0.25±0.01; 0.24–0.27); clypeus with anterolateral angle and an almost straight or bluntly angulate anteromedian margin; two apical teeth of mandible normally spaced; antennal scape relatively long (SL/CS: 1.58±0.05; 1.50–1.66). Mesosoma low and long (MPH/ML: 0.33±0.01; 0.31–0.36); promesonotum weakly convex, mesonotum and propodeum nearly flat, separated by weakly visible metanotal groove; propodeal dorsum rounding to declivity; propodeal dorsum roughly 2 × as long as declivity. Petiolar node tapering dorsally, its dorsal margin inclined posteriorly, rounding to anterior margin; anterior face 1/2 height of posterior face; femur of hind leg rounded axially, not twisted near base.

First and second gastral tergites without a pair of white spots; lateral margin of head without erect hairs; a pair of erect hairs present near posterior cephalic margin; with head in profile, three pairs of erect hairs arranged from level of anterior margin of eye to posterior cephalic margin; antennal scape without erect hairs, covered with distantly spaced pubescence; pronotum with two pairs of erect hairs; mesonotum and propodeum without erect hairs.

Major With characteristics of minor worker, except for the following divergent features: enlarged head (CS: 3.22±0.36; 2.73–3.74; CWb/CL: 0.91±0.06; 0.80–0.98), apical 1/4 of antennal scape surpassing posterior cephalic margin, much more robust mesosoma, promesonotum forming a convexity, separated from propodeum by a distinct metanotum; propodeal dorsum convex immediately behind metanotum, length almost equal to height of declivity, their junction at a rounded angle; petiolar node tapering dorsally.

Type Material

Camponotus maculatus strangulatus

• Lectotype major worker, designated by Rakotonirina & Fisher (2022), Madagascar, Vitikampy; Morondava, AntWeb CASENT0101097 (NHMB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].

Camponotus hova maculatoides

• Lectotype minor worker, designated by Rakotonirina & Fisher (2022), Madagascar, Nosibe, Antsiranana (Voeltzkow) AntWeb CASENT0101095 (NHMB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].
• Paralectotypes: 1 minor worker and 3 major workers of same data as lectotype, but minor and majors respectively specimen coded as: CASENT0101339, CASENT0101338, CASENT0101747 (MHNG) and CASENT0101095 (NHMB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].

Taxonomic Notes

As generally known, the genus Camponotus displays polymorphism in the worker castes and this feature is amplified by the phenotypic variation within the castes when the species has specifically a large geographic distribution. This is especially true for C. strangulatus which inhabits most of the terrestrial landscapes, but not the rainforests in the east of Madagascar. Camponotus hova maculatoides, created by Emery (1920b) was found in Nosibe, north of Madagascar, an area within the range of C. strangulatus. Observations of the type specimens of the species and subspecies prove the absence of strong morphological traits to differentiate them. The comparison of the type specimens of C. hova maculatoides with the samples of workers for C. strangulatus did not show striking morphological difference. Consequently, C. hova maculatoides is placed under synonymy here.

References

• Bolton, B. 1995b. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 504 pp. (page 125, [Emery gives strangulatus as the junior synonym of maculatoides but the former name has priority: Bolton, 1995: 125.])
• Emery, C. 1920d. Studi sui Camponotus. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 52: 3-48 (page 6, senior synonym of maculatoides)
• Olson, D. M.; Ward, P. S. 1996. The ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Kirindy Forest (tropical dry forest) in western Madagascar. Pp. 161-164 in Ganzhorn, J. U., Sorg, J.-P. (eds.) Ecology and economy of a tropical dry forest in Madagascar. Primate (page 164, Raised to species)
• 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. 1911e. Nouvelles fourmis de Madagascar. Rev. Suisse Zool. 19: 117-134 (page 129, fig. 3 soldier, worker, queen described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
• Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
• Forel A. 1897. Ameisen aus Nossi-Bé, Majunga, Juan de Nova (Madagaskar), den Aldabra-Inseln und Sansibar, gesammelt von Herrn Dr. A. Voeltzkow aus Berlin. Mit einem Anhang über die von Herrn Privatdocenten Dr. A. Brauer in Marburg auf den Seychellen und von Herrn Perrot auf Ste. Marie (Madagaskar) gesammelten Ameisen. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 21: 185-208.
• Forel A. 1907. Formiciden aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum in Hamburg. II. Teil. Neueingänge seit 1900. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 24: 1-20.
• Santschi F. 1911. Nouvelles fourmis de Madagascar. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 19: 117-134.
• Wheeler W. M. 1922. 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. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055