Camponotus hova

Within Madagascar, Camponotus hova is widespread and occurs in dry forests of the west from the north throughout the center and the southwest of regions, and is also known from Juan de Nova, Europa, and Mayotte islands (Fig. 58D). On these small islands, members of this species occupy coastal spiny bush on sand, spiny forest on coral, and coastal dune vegetation. This species is also capable of colonizing human-modified habitats. Workers are found foraging on the ground and nest sites are located in rotten logs, in the ground, and in rot pockets above the ground (Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022). In Yemen it was found in dry leaf litter next to a date palm tree (Sharaf et al., 2017).

Identification
Lateral cephalic margins approximately parallel in full-face view; two apical teeth of mandible closely spaced; antennal scape covered with erect hairs.

Camponotus hova shows significant morphological variation across its wide distribution in Madagascar and nearby islands. Two variants are recognized according to the forms of the dorsum of the propodeum, but these merge gradually into the typical form through their geographical distribution.

Variant 1. Workers of this variant express the typical form by which the posterior 1/2 of the mesonotum to the posterodorsal corner of the propodeum is straight in profile. The petiolar node is characterized by the posterior inclination of the dorsal margin toward the anterior face, which is ca. 1/3 the height of the posterior face. This variant occupies the southwest region of Madagascar and surrounding islands. Integument is brown to dark brown or blackish brown in color.

Variant 2. This variant is known from the northwestern part of Madagascar and is characterized by the presence of a slightly broad concavity from the posterior 1/2 of mesonotum to posterodorsal corner of propodeum in lateral view and by the pale yellow to reddish orange color the body. Its petiole is nodiform, and the dorsal margin rounds to the anterior face, which is 1/2 height of the posterior face. (Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022)

Distribution
A species described originally from Madagascar, commonly found on islands of East Africa (Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2004), and recorded from the Arabian Peninsula from Oman (Collingwood 1985) and Yemen (Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al., 2017).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Comoros, Mozambique, Socotra Archipelago, Yemen. Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Mayotte, Seychelles. Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus maculatus r. hova Forel, 1891b: 35.
 * [First available use of Camponotus rubripes r. maculatus var. hova Forel, 1886f: 150 (s.w.q.) MADAGASCAR; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
 * Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 85.
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Forel, 1907g: 89.
 * Subspecies of maculatus: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 241 (footnote); Emery, 1895f: 337; Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Forel, 1897c: 200; Emery, 1898a: 225; Forel, 1907e: 14; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1040.
 * Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 235; Emery, 1920c: 5, 9 (in key); Emery, 1925b: 85; Collingwood, 1985: 280; Bolton, 1995b: 104; Dorow, 1996a: 86; Collingwood & Agosti, 1996: 373; Collingwood, et al. 2004: 489; Borowiec, L. 2014: 33 (see note in bibliography); Sharaf, Fisher, et al. 2017: 9.
 * obscuratus. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) hova var. obscurata Emery, 1925b: 85.
 * [First available use of Camponotus maculatus subsp. radamae var. obscurata Forel, 1907g: 89 (w.m.) MADAGASCAR; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1041.
 * Subspecies of hova: Bolton, 1995b: 114.
 * Junior synonym of hova: Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 99.
 * Material of the unavailable name obscurior referred here by Emery, 1925b: 85.

Type Material
Camponotus maculatus hova
 * Syntype workers and queen, Morondava côte ouest de Madagascar (Grandidier) (MHNG); 1 syntype major worker designated as lectotype, by present designation, AntWeb CASENT0101908 (MHNG) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].

Camponotus hova obscuratus
 * Syntype workers and male, SW Madagascar (Voeltzkow) (NHMB); 1 syntype minor worker designated as lectotype, by present designation, AntWeb CASENT0101110 (NHMB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].
 * Paracletotype major worker with same data as lectotype but specimen coded as: CASENT0101109 (NHMB) [Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022].

Taxonomic Notes
Based on the original description of C. hova (Forel, 1891) and C. hova obscuratus (Emery, 1925) and the examination of their respective syntype specimens, there are no distinctive characters that were found to differentiate both taxa. The observation of the collection obtained from the recent survey of the Malagasy ant fauna indicates that the distinctive characters of C. hova obscuratus vary within and across the populations of C. hova. Therefore, it is reasonable to place safely C. hova obscuratus in synonymy with C. hova (Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022).

Determination Clarifications
A record of Camponotus maculatus for Socotra (Kohl 1907), based on specimens collected in 1899 by the expedition of the Vienna museum, should certainly be referred to C. hova.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Collingwood C. A. 1985. Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 7: 230-302.
 * Collingwood, C. A. and D. Agosti. 1996. Formicidae (Insects: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2) Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15: 300-385.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and A. van Harten. "Additions to the Ant Fauna of Yemen (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Buchreihe zur Entomologie 8 (2001): 559-568.
 * Collingwood, C. A., and Donat Agosti. "Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 15 (1996): 300-385.
 * Collingwood, C. A.. "Hymenoptera: Fam. Formicidae of Saudi Arabia." Fauna of Saudi Arabia 7 (1985): 230-302.
 * Dorow, Wolfgang H. O. 1995. Review and Bibliography of the ants of the Seychelles (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Afr. Zool. 110:73-96
 * Dorow, Wolfgang H.O. 1996. Review and bibliography of the ants of the Seychelles. Journal of African Zoology 110(2): 73-95.
 * 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.
 * Goodman S., Y. Anbdou, Y. Andriamiarantsoa, B. L. Fisher, O. Griffiths, B. Keitt, J. J. Rafanomezantsoa, E. Rajoelison, J. C. Rakotonirina, L. Ranaivoarisoa et al. 2017. Results of a biological inventory of the Nosy Ankao island group, Parc National de Loky-Manambato, northeastern Madagascar. Malagasy Nature, Association Vahatra, 2017, 11, 
 * Hill M. J., T. M. Vel, S. J. Parr, and N. J. Shah. 2002. North Island (Seychelles). Geology, Topography and Climate. Atoll Research Bulletin 495: 176-199.
 * Ravelomanana A., and B. L. Fisher. 2013. Diversity of ants in burned and unburned grassland, and dry deciduous forest in the Beanka Reserve, Melaky Region, western Madagascar. Malagasy Nature 7: 171-183.
 * Sharaf M. R., B. L. Fisher, H. M. Al Dhafer, A. Polaszek, and A. S. Aldawood. 2018. Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Oman: an updated list, new records and a description of two new species. Asian Myrmecology 10: e010004
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055