Camponotus ashokai

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Karmaly & Narendran (2006) - This species comes close to Camponotus angusticollis in general appearance and in the following features: 1. Head elongate; 2. Antennae elongate, slender, filiform, 12 jointed; 3. Circular anal orifice at the apex of last gastral segment guarded by guard hairs. However this new species differs from Camponotus angusticollis in having: 1. Anterior margin of clypeus somewhat rounded, not dentate (in Camponotus angusticollis anterior margin of clypeus transverse and dentate). 2. Eyes oval, convex, black at the center, surrounded by greyish brown (in Camponotus angusticollis eyes convex oval, black); 3. Metanotum not gibbous (in Camponotus angusticollis metanotum gibbous); 4. Apex of pedicel flattened (in Camponotus angusticollis apex of pedicel cylindrical); 5. Node of pedicel convex anteriorly, flat posteriorly, rounded above (in Camponotus angusticollis node of pedicel thick at front, flat at base, very concave above, upper margin transverse and notched).

Distribution
Kerala, India.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Oriental Region: India.

Nomenclature

 *  ashokai. Camponotus (Dinomyrmex) ashokai Karmaly & Narendran, 2006: 42, figs. 7, 8 (w.) INDIA.

Worker
TL = 10.8 mm; HL = 2.46 mm; HW = 2.17 mm; CI = 88.21 mm; SL = 1.66 mm; SI = 76.49 mm; ED= 0.06 mm; PW = 1.6 mm; AL = 4.53 mm.

Colour: Head and legs yellowish brown; thorax yellowish brown shaded with fuscous brown above; antennal scape reddish brown; all segments of funiculus yellowish brown; node of pedicel fuscous brown; abdomen dark brown; posterior margin of abdominal segments narrow whitish yellow.

Sculpture and Hair pattern: Head and abdomen somewhat shining; mandibles, clypeus and head granulate rugulose; legs, thorax, node of pedicel, abdomen rugulose and feebly granulate; body clothed with short silky white ad pressed pubescence; pale brown erect hairs distinct only on head and abdomen; tibiae and tarsi spinous beneath.

Head: Small elongate, wider at the articulation of the mandibles than vertex, occiput very strongly constricted and elongated into a neck; mandibles subtriangular; 6-toothed (3 apical teeth followed by 3 acute teeth); clypeus broad with a longitudinal furrow at the middle, convex medially and concave laterally, its anterior margin transverse and shortly produced, median lobe prominent, posterior margin with a short depression medially; frontal lobe short; frontal carinae short and parallel; antennal carinae reduced; antennal scrobe very much short, passing above the eye, reaching frontal carinae; antennae long, slender, filiform, 12 jointed; antennal scape cylindrical, all segments of funiculus longer than broad; club single segmented. Relative measurement of length of antennal segments : Scape 1.66 mm; F1 = 0.86 mm; F2 = 0.6 mm; F3 = 0.6 mm; F4 = 0.53 mm; F5 = 0.86 mm; F6 = 0.73 mm; F7 = 0.2 mm; F8 = 0.2 mm; F9 = 0.2 mm; F10 = 0.2 mm; Club (F11) 0.46 mm. Eyes small, rounded situated at the posterior margin of the head.

Thorax: Elongate and narrow; pronotum convex, narrowed in front, constricted with a neck anteriorly; pro-mesonotal and meso-metanotal suture distinct; metanotal groove absent; metanotal orifice present; metanotal spiracles distinct; basal region of metanotum along with propodeum steeply sloped and forming a circular region; legs elongate; tibiae compressed, longitudinally channelled, spinous beneath; tarsi with tarsal spines.

Abdomen: Pedicel with a short peduncle in front; nodiform, petiolar node thick at front, flat at base, very convex above, upper margin rounded, posteriorly flat and truncate; in dorsal view node lobate, depressed, concave; gaster short, massive, oval; posterior margin of gastral segments with whitish yellow band; last gastral segment ends with circular anal orifice guarded by guard hairs.

Type Material
Holotype: Worker : India: Kerala, Silent Valley (Palakkad Dist.), All oak, 24-i-2001 []. Paratype: 1 w: with the same data as that of holotype (DZSXCA)

Etymology
The species name is after Ashoka the wise king of India.