Camponotus acvapimensis

Widely distributed and common across African forest zone and is found throughout West Africa, extending eastwards right across tropical Africa (Collingwood et al. 2004; Taylor et al., 2018). By origin probably a savannah species, it nests in branches and insolated ground and forages on the ground, in vegetation and on trees. An avid tender of Homoptera, including aphids, coccids, membracids, planthoppers, stictococcids and pseudococcids, these ants often construct soil "tents" or roofs as protection for feeding areas. They also forage on native trees and low vegetation, as well as on cashew, coffee, kola, oil palm and plantain, as well as Anacardium occidentale, Annona muricata, Annona senegalensis, Mangifera indica, Piliostigma thonningii, Sarcocephalus latifolius, Strychnos spinosa, Terminalia avicennoides, Terminalia laxiflora, Theobroma cacao and assorted grasses. Foraging workers can be very antagonistic to Oecophylla longinoda (Taylor 1977; Taylor & Adedoyin 1978; Taylor et al., 2018).

Identification
Collingwood et al. (2004) - This is a dull black ant of moderate size. Hairs are present on the ventral head and on the vertex. Size variation in workers is low, the species appears to be monomorphic.

Distribution
This species was described from Ghana and with a broad distribution in the Savannahs and forests of the Afrotropical region (Collingwood 1985). It was recorded from Socotra, Yemen, by Collingwood et al. (2004) with no records known from the Arabian Peninsula. In Socotra, this species has a limited distribution and is confined to a few sites at higher elevations. (Sharaf et al., 2017)

In Yemen, this species appears to be uncommon, only being collected by Sharaf et al. (2017) from one locality. Workers were found foraging on twigs of Croton socotranus Balf. f. (Euphorbiaceae). It seems likely that the species may be confined to higher elevation sites above 900 m. It was also recorded from Dixam Plateau 1000–1200 m (Collingwood et al. 2004).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Benin, Cameroun, Eritrea, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Socotra Archipelago, Togo, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Association with Other Organisms


Aléné et al. (2011) observed a very unusual behaviour between the psyllid Diaphorina enderleini and Pheidole megacephala and Crematogaster striatula. While female psyllids are laying eggs on the lower leaf surface, workers of P. megacephala quickly pile up detritus combined with soil around and partly above the psyllids, resulting in a shelter-like structure. Those of C. striatula build carton shelters. During this procedure the adult female psyllids hardly move away from their eggs and larvae. The psyllid larvae are arranged in tight rows along the leaf veins, especially the principal one, and sometimes at the base of very young branches. The larvae are mostly sedentary and only move, slowly and steadily, when disturbed. They do not produce wax, as can be expected from the almost complete lack of the circumanal ring. Females and larvae excrete large drops of honeydew, which are immediately recovered by ants. In Camponotus acvapimensis and Myrmicaria opaciventris the workers did not build any structure around the psyllids but they were observed taking honeydew from them.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus acvapimensis Mayr, 1862: 664 (w.) GHANA.
 * [Misspelled as acwapimensis by Emery, 1877b: 364, Emery, 1896d: 372, and others; misspelled as akwapimensis by Forel, 1907e: 16, Forel, 1910c: 268, and others.]
 * Forel, 1915c: 348 (m.); Arnold, 1922: 656 (s.q.).
 * Combination in C. (Myrmoturba): Forel, 1913b: 340;
 * combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 91.
 * Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 2; Mayr, 1863: 397; Emery, 1877b: 365; Dalla Torre, 1893: 220; Mayr, 1895: 150; Emery, 1896d: 372 (in list); Emery, 1897e: 604; Emery, 1899a: 501; Emery, 1901e: 63; Forel, 1907a: 31; Forel, 1907e: 16; Forel, 1907g: 90; Mayr, 1907b: 20; Forel, 1910c: 268; Forel, 1910e: 451; Forel, 1911d: 371; Forel, 1911f: 281; Forel, 1913a: 145; Forel, 1913b: 340; Forel, 1913h: 355; Forel, 1914a: 266; Forel, 1914d: 253; Santschi, 1914d: 380; Forel, 1915c: 348; Forel, 1916: 442; Arnold, 1922: 656; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 236, 948; Emery, 1925b: 91; Menozzi, 1926a: 41; Menozzi, 1927f: 361; Menozzi, 1930b: 118; Menozzi, 1933a: 111; Santschi, 1935a: 279; Santschi, 1937b: 104; Finzi, 1939a: 166; Menozzi, 1939c: 107; Santschi, 1939f: 167; Weber, 1943c: 336; Menozzi & Consani, 1952: 69; Bernard, 1953b: 261; Collingwood, 1985: 277; Bolton, 1995b: 84; Collingwood, et al. 2004: 488; Collingwood, et al. 2011: 448; Hita Garcia, et al. 2013: 204; Borowiec, L. 2014: 24; Sharaf, Fisher, et al. 2017: 7; Madl, 2019: 13.
 * Senior synonym of flavosetosus: Brown, 1956a: 39; Bolton, 1995b: 84.
 * Senior synonym of mombassae: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 948; Emery, 1925b: 91; Menozzi, 1930b: 118; Bolton, 1995b: 84.
 * Senior synonym of poultoni: Brown, 1956a: 39; Bolton, 1995b: 84.
 * flavosetosus. Camponotus (Myrmopiromis) flavosetosus Donisthorpe, 1945d: 271 (s.w.) TOGO, GHANA.
 * Junior synonym of acvapimensis: Brown, 1956a: 39; Bolton, 1995b: 100.
 * poultoni. Camponotus acwapimensis var. poultoni Forel, 1913c: 353 (w.) NIGERIA.
 * [Misspelled as pultoni by Santschi, 1914d: 380.]
 * Forel, 1915c: 348 (m.).
 * Subspecies of acvapimensis: Forel, 1913h: 355; Santschi, 1914d: 380; Forel, 1915c: 348; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 949; Emery, 1925b: 91; Menozzi, 1942: 180; Eidmann, 1944: 463.
 * Junior synonym of acvapimensis: Brown, 1956a: 39; Bolton, 1995b: 118.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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