Camponotus cruentatus

This ant was found by Boulay et al. (2007) to be one of two important ant dispersers (also Formica lugubris) of myrmecochorous seeds of the plant Helleborus feotidus. C. cruentatus was responsible for 45% of the observed visits and 67% of the observed seed removals from a population from southern Spain.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Algeria, Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Monaco, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia.

Other Insects
This ant has been observed tending larvae of Lampides boeticus. C. cruentatus has also been associated with the butterfly Glaucopsyche alexis (Obregon et al. 2015).

Nomenclature

 *  cruentatus. Formica cruentata Latreille, 1802c: 116, pl. 3, fig. 10 (w.) "L'habitation est inconnue. Je soupçonne qu'elle est d'Afrique." [Distribution is Mediterranean.] Roger, 1862b: 255 (q.m.); Emery, 1916b: 230 (s.). Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1861: 36; in C. (Myrmosericus): Forel, 1914a: 268. Senior synonym of opaca and material of the unavailable name bucephala referred here: Roger, 1859: 228; Mayr, 1861: 36. Senior synonym of gigas Leach: Dalla Torre, 1893: 227; of cruentior, lindbergi: Cagniant, 1991b: 51. See also: André, 1882b: 155; Cagniant, 1985b: 77; Cagniant, 1991b: 42. Current subspecies: nominal plus asper.
 * gigas. Formica gigas Leach, 1825: 292 (w.q.m.) FRANCE. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of gigas Latreille, above.] Junior synonym of herculeanus: Roger, 1859: 229; of cruentatus: Dalla Torre, 1893: 227.
 * opaca. Formica opaca Nylander, 1856b: 55, pl. 3, fig. 16 (w.) FRANCE. Junior synonym of cruentatus: Roger, 1859: 228; Mayr, 1861: 36.
 * cruentior. Camponotus (Myrmosericus) cruentatus var. cruentior Santschi, 1931a: 12 (s.w.) MOROCCO. Junior synonym of cruentatus: Cagniant, 1991b: 51.
 * lindbergi. Camponotus (Myrmosericus) cruentatus var. lindbergi Santschi, 1931a: 12 (s.w.) MOROCCO. Junior synonym of cruentatus: Cagniant, 1991b: 51.