Mayria

Mayr's Carpenter Ants

Diagnosis. Emery (1925). - "Worker and queen. - Medium species; dimorphism pronounced. Head of minors, medias, and queens almost as in Myrmentoma, but usually head of majors narrower anteriorly and more deeply emarginate posteriorly. Clypeus neither carinate medially nor subcarinate; without anterior lobe or with short, rounded or truncated lobe. Mandibles strongly arched, with 5 or 6 teeth. Mesosoma large anteriorly, narrow posteriorly; mesosomal dorsum not marginate, and with continuous profile, pronotum very arched and mesosoma almost straight posteriorly, or with propodeum concave dorsally, forming saddle-like profile, or with noticeable impression on meta-propodeal suture. Petiole thickly squamiform or nodiform. Abdominal segment III (gastral segment I) depressed in the typical species (C. madagascarensis, Forel), more-or-less normal in most other species. Male.- Ocelles present on summit of vertex (C. quadrimaculatus, Forel, gibber, Forel) (Plate 3, Figure 4). Remaining characters similar to Myrmentoma.

Geographical distribution of species. - Madagascar; some species inhabiting tropical Africa.

Note: This subgenus is very similar to Myrmentoma. Mayria is in some way intermediate between Myrmentoma and Tanaemyrmex of arrogans and natalensis species groups."

(Translated and edited by B. E. Boudinot, 17 February 2017.)

Mayria is currently a subgenus of Camponotus.

Malagasy Mayria

 * Key to Malagasy Camponotus Mayria

The Malagasy Mayria were revised by Rakotonirina and Fisher, 2018. The following is summarized from their study:

The subgenus Mayria is distributed across the Afrotropical region, members of this subgenus are characterized by a narrow frontal lobe, which partially covers the antennal insertion, an S-shaped frontal carina, which is strongly divergent posteriorly, a procoxa of normal size, a laterally narrow and low petiolar node, an elongate and narrow gaster, which is generally low and short anteriorly, and body sculpture varying from smooth and shiny to finely and densely imbricate.

As for most Camponotus species, minor and major worker castes exist within a colony of the subgenus Mayria. There are also various worker forms presenting continuous morphological variation between these two castes.

Minor worker

- Head elongate in full-face view, lateral margins slightly diverging posteriorly and start rounding at about posterior third of head; posterior margins more or less straight.

- Mandible triangular, basal margin as long as apical margin, which most frequently has six (or very rarely five) sharp teeth. - Palp formula: 6,4.

- Clypeus most frequently with broadly convex anterior margin, occasionally straight (Camponotus dromedarius, Camponotus lubbocki, Camponotus pulcher), projecting into triangular lobe (Camponotus liandia). Sometimes anterior margin bordered by lamella (Camponotus raina, Camponotus sada).

- Antenna with 12 antennomeres, with elongate flagellomeres; apical antennomere slightly longer than other flagellomeres; antennal scape long, generally its distal half surpassing the posterior cephalic margin.

- Frontal lobe narrow and partially covering the antennal insertion; frontal carina S-shaped, strongly divergent posteriorly.

- Compound eye large, protruding, its posterior margin usually located about one-half to one-third of the cephalic length from the posterior margin of the head.

- Mesosoma in lateral view, ranging from strongly arched to flat or with pronotum and mesonotum weakly convex, mesonotum and propodeum almost straight.

- Promesonotal suture visible.

- Pronotum with rounded humeral angle, without sharp margination between its dorsum and lateral face.

- Mesopleuron and propodeal surface together clearly longer than lateral portion of pronotum in lateral view.

- Metapleural gland lacking.

- Metanotal groove inconspicuous to clearly visible.

- Procoxa of normal size, maximum width as large as, or smaller than the width of mesopleuron.

- Middle and hind tibiae with single pectinate spur.

- Petiolar node laterally narrow and low.

- Gaster generally elongate and narrow, anteriorly low and short.

- Sculpture varying from smooth and shiny to finely and densely imbricate.

Major worker Major worker similar to minor worker, but differing by the following distinctive traits: larger head and mesosoma, antennal scape shorter, at most apical third extending beyond posterior margin of head, petiolar node much higher than long (flattened anteroposteriorly), lateral portion of head with scattered shallow punctures superimposed on finely and densely imbricate sculpture (C. lubbocki, C. liandia, and C. repens).

Synoptic list of the Malagasy Camponotus subgenus Mayria recognized:
 * Camponotus christi
 * Camponotus dromedarius
 * Camponotus foersteri
 * Camponotus lamosy
 * Camponotus liandia
 * Camponotus lubbocki
 * Camponotus maculiventris
 * Camponotus mainty
 * Camponotus manabo
 * Camponotus pulcher
 * Camponotus raina
 * Camponotus repens
 * Camponotus sada
 * Camponotus tanosy

Nomenclature

 *  MAYRIA [subgenus of Camponotus]
 * Mayria Forel, 1878: 369. Type-species: Mayria madagascarensis (junior secondary homonym in Camponotus, replaced by Camponotus repens), by monotypy.
 * Mayria subgenus of Camponotus: Forel, 1894e: 227.
 * Mayria senior synonym of Myrmosaga: Emery, 1925b: 121.
 * MYRMOSAGA [junior synonym of Mayria]
 * Myrmosaga Forel, 1912i: 92 [as subgenus of Camponotus]. Type-species: Camponotus kelleri, by subsequent designation of Wheeler, W.M. 1913a: 81.
 * [Type-species not Camponotus quadrimaculatus, unjustified subsequent designation by Forel, 1914a: 260.]
 * Myrmosaga junior synonym of Mayria: Emery, 1925b: 121.