Camponotus voeltzkowii

Camponotus voeltzkowii is one of the most common species within the niveosetosus species group of the Malagasy region. In Madagascar, it is widespread in the west but absent in the northernmost region. To the north, its geographic distribution is limited to montane rainforest of the northern highland. Along the western portion of the island, the distributional range of C. voeltzkowii consists of the dry forest on Tsingy, gallery forest, littoral forest habitats in the north to southwest, as well as spiny bush and thicket in the extreme south of the island. The species is also known to occur in Uapaca woodland of the central high plateau region, and in the northern-and southern-central portions of the island’s eastern rainforests. The species also can occupy anthropogenic habitats such as disturbed and degraded forests and urban gardens. Colony nests are found either on the forest floor under stones or in rotten logs, or in the dead branches or twigs of trees. Foraging activity is carried out on the ground and through leaf litter or on lower vegetation (Rakotonirina, Csosz & Fisher, 2017).

Identification
A member of the Camponotus niveosetosus'' species group.

Rakotonirina et al. (2017) - Integument black; posterior portion of head, dorsum of mesosoma, and lateral margin of propodeal declivity with randomly scattered, whitish, erect hairs; basal half of antennal scape flattened dorsoventrally; in lateral view, mesosoma short and high, propodeal dorsum shorter than declivitous face; few scattered erect hairs present immediately behind lateral margin of clypeus; dorsum of body with numerous, randomly scattered, long, erect hairs and abundant long pubescence; tibiae with sparse suberect hairs.

Similar to Camponotus mita; see identification section of C. mita for diagnostic details.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus voeltzkowii Forel, 1894e: 226 (w.) MADAGASCAR.
 * Combination in C. (Myrmobrachys): Forel, 1914a: 271;
 * combination in C. (Myrmepomis): Emery, 1920b: 258;
 * combination in C. (Myrmopiromis): Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1053.
 * Rakotonirina, et al. 2017: 239 (s.).
 * Status as species: Emery, 1896d: 377 (in list); Forel, 1897c: 208; Forel, 1904b: 377; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1053; Emery, 1925b: 129; Bolton, 1995b: 129; Rakotonirina, et al. 2017: 239 (redescription).

Worker
Rakotonirina et al. (2017) – Minor In full-face view head slightly longer than wide (CWb/CL: 0.91±0.03, 0.87– 1.07), lateral borders straight and diverging posteriorly and joining the more or less posterior margin in a distinct angle. In lateral view, posterior cephalic margin extending backward into a rounded lobe. Eyes protruding, almost breaking lateral borders of head (CWb/CL: 0.91±0.03, 0.87–1.07; CW/CL: 0.89±0.03, 0.86–1.04), located at posterior sixth to fifth portion of head (PoOc/CL: 0.17±0.01, 0.15–0.23). With head in full-face view, clypeus trapezoidal; anteromedian margin projecting into a triangular lobe; anterolateral portion bluntly angulate; median portion convex, with visible longitudinal carina. Mandible triangular, apical margin equipped with six teeth. Antennal scape long, roughly distal portion extending beyond posterior margin of head (SL/CS: 1.10±0.05, 1.01– 1.19); basal portion cylindrical, not flattened dorsoventrally. In lateral view, mesosoma short and high (MPH/ML: 0.54±0.05, 0.46–0.71), dorsal outline of promesonotum domelike, its level higher than that of propodeum; anterodorsal portion of pronotum angulate; propodeal dorsum short, joining the sharply inclined propodeal declivity into a blunt angle; metanotal groove obsolete. Opening of propodeal spiracle circular or elongate to slitlike. In lateral view, petiolar node scalelike and high, petiolar spiracle located at level lower than midheight of node; anterior face starting to incline posteriorly at dorsal third portion of node to reach the straight posterior face dorsally. Middle and hind legs with single pectinate tibial spur. Transverse light strip on posterior margin of gastral tergites wide, maximum width roughly 1/8 the visible width of second tergite.

Head dorsum finely and densely reticulate punctate to finely areolate, becoming finely imbricate posteriorly; pronotum finely and densely reticulate punctate to finely imbricate, mesonotum and propodeum finely and densely reticulate rugulose. Lateral portion of head and mesosoma finely imbricate. Gastral tergites finely and transversely strigulate anteriorly and finely imbricate posteriorly. Mandible with coriarious ponctulate sculpture. Whitish erect hairs randomly scattered from median portion of head to near its posterior margin, where they spread transversally to near the lateral margin and down anteriorly to near base of mandible and behind lateral margin of clypeus. Head, pronotum, anterior section of mesonotum, and posterior section of gastral tergites covered with hairs thinner and more erect than posterior portion of mesonotum, propodeum, petiolar node, and first gastral tergite; tibiae covered with scattered suberect hairs. Pubescence long and quite dense, distance between them smaller than their length; pubescence more abundant on gaster than mesosoma and head.

Major With characteristics of minor worker, but head subquadrate (CWb/CL: 0.97±0.02, 0.94–0.99) to cordate in full-face view, posterior cephalic margin slightly broadly excised. Eyes placed more interior relative to head capsule (CWb/CL: 0.97±0.02, 0.94–0.99; CW/CL: 0.84±0.01, 0.81–0.85). Mandibles more robust, masticatory margin with more than six teeth. Clypeus with elongate median portion (ClyL/GPD: 0.78±0.02, 0.73– 0.81), anteromedian margin straight to slightly broadly convex. Antennal scape short, barely extending beyond posterior cephalic border (SL/CS: 0.76±0.01, 0.75–0.79). Dorsal outline of mesosoma forming a continuous convexity; metanotal groove a slightly impressed line. Lateral portion of head finely and densely reticulate punctate to finely areolate, with scattered groups of two to seven areoles surrounding the base of an appressed or erect hair; each group of these areoles is sometimes embedded in a poorly defined puncture. Lateral portion of mesosoma finely areolate to finely imbricate.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Emery C. 1886. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna 5: 363-382
 * 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.
 * Olson D. M., and P. S. Ward. 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 Report 46-1. Göttingen: German Primate Center (DPZ), 382 pp.
 * Rakotonirina J. C., S. Csosz, and B. L. Fisher. 2017. Taxonomic revision of the Malagasy Camponotus grandidieri and niveosetosus species groups (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) using qualitative and quantitative morphology. Zootaxa 4238 (2): 203–245.