Camponotus cemeryi

Camponotus cemeryi occurs in dry forest and spiny forest of west Madagascar and in the savannah shrubland and woodland of the central plateau (Fig. 49D). Along its distribution, members of the species can also be found in gallery forest habitats and in transitional forest between dry and humid forests. It may also establish colonies in human-modiﬁed habitats on the high plateau. Specimens have been collected mostly foraging on the forest ﬂoor and rarely on lower vegetation. The species nests in rotten logs, in the ground, under stones, and in rotting tree stumps. (Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022)

Identification
With head in full-face view, lateral cephalic margins anterior to eye level parallel and lacking erect hairs, lateral and anteromedian clypeal margin continuously forming broad convexity; scape covered with erect hairs; mesosoma short and high (MPH/ML: 0.39, 0.46); petiolar node ﬂattened anteroposteriorly; body color yellowish to brown.

Members of C. cemeryi can be separated from similar species like Camponotus boivini by the strongly convex dorsal outline of its short and high mesosoma. It can be differentiated from [[Camponotus mahafaly] by the presence of erect to suberect hairs on the antennal scape.

Worker specimens that show the typical form of C. cemeryi are generally found across the western dry forest of Madagascar, but specimens have been collected from the mountaintops on the high plateau of the island that present morphological variation in which the lateral margin of head posterior to eye level is covered with erect hairs, three pairs of erect hairs are present on posterior cephalic margin, and body color is generally depigmented yellow or brown with depigmented yellow in some parts of the body. Based on these characters, this variant may constitute a separate species; however, the dendrogram based on quantitative morphological analysis did not support this hypothesis. (Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar.

Nomenclature

 * luteolus. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) hova var. luteolus Emery, 1925b: 85.
 * [First available use of Camponotus maculatus r. hova var. luteolus Forel, 1897c: 202 (w.) MADAGASCAR; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
 * [Junior primary homonym of Camponotus maculatus subsp. luteolus Emery, 1906c: 188 (Bolton, 1995b: 109).]
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1898a: 225; Santschi, 1911e: 131 (caption of fig. 3g); Emery, 1920c: 5; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1040.
 * Subspecies of hova: Bolton, 1995b: 109.
 * Replacement name: Camponotus hova cemeryi Özdikmen, 2010a: 527.
 * . Camponotus hova cemeryi Özdikmen, 2010a: 527.
 * Replacement name for Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) hova var. luteolus Emery, 1925b: 85.
 * [Junior primary homonym of Camponotus maculatus subsp. luteolus Emery, 1906c: 188.]
 * Status as species: Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 65,

Type Material

 * Syntype major workers, queen and male, Madagascar, Majunga (Voeltzkow); 1 syntype major worker designated as lectotype, by present designation, Madagascar, Majunga (Voeltzkow) AntWeb CASENT0101103 (NHMB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].
 * Paralectotypes: 2 major workers with the same data as lectotype but with specimen codes CASENT0101104 (NHMB), CASENT0101894 (MHNG); 1 alate queen CASENT0101848 and 1 male CASENT0101911 (MHNG) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].