Camponotus fallax

This species is widely distributed in Europe, and can be found as far north as southern Sweden, while also present in north-west Africa, the Caucasus, north-west Kazakhstan, and in the southern part of western Siberia (Czechowski et al. 2002). It lives mainly in light, warm forests, or even orchards and city parks. Nests are built in dead trees, or dead twigs of living trees, but also in wooden parts of buildings (Marko et al., 2009). In Russia it was found in oak forests nesting in dead, dry branches and sometimes in wooden buildings (Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007).

Identification
Dark brownish red to black with legs and antennae paler; body hairs sparse; microsculpture on head and alitrunk dense, giving somewhat opaque appearance; gaster shining. Clypeus not projecting forward beyond mandibular insertions, middle of front border incised; in the larger examples the cleft is deep, giving a bidentate appearance. Mandibles broad with five distinct teeth. In profile dorsum of alitrunk rather flat, propodeum with steep descending basal face; petiole broadly oval in front view. Length: variable 4-9 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
Central and South Europe, Portugal to Ukraine and Morocco to Poland (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

Biology
Collingwood (1979) - This species lives in small colonies of 30-50 individuals under bark or in dead wood of old trees up to 2m or more above ground in open deciduous woodland or parkland. Workers forage singly and are fugitive. Alatae have been recorded in early summer, May and June.

Other Insects
This ant has been observed tending butterfly larvae of Polyommatus celina that were feeding on the plant Medicago sativa (Obregon et al. 2015).

Nomenclature

 *  fallax. Formica fallax Nylander, 1856b: 57 (s.w.) FRANCE. Roger, 1859: 230 (q.m.). Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1861: 36; in C. (Camponotus): Forel, 1914a: 266; in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1920b: 257. Junior synonym of marginatus: Roger, 1863b: 1; Mayr, 1886d: 423; Nasonov, 1889: 10. Revived from synonymy: Wheeler, W.M. 1913c: 117; Forel, 1915d: 67; Emery, 1916b: 226. Subspecies of caryae: Wheeler, W.M. 1917c: 27. Revived status as species: Wheeler, W.M. 1917a: 558; Bondroit, 1918: 71; Finzi, 1924a: 14; Karavaiev, 1927c: 277. See also: Kutter, 1977c: 206; Collingwood, 1979: 88; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 220. Senior synonym of kamensis, pageti, ruzskyi: Radchenko, 1997b: 703.
 * ruzskyi. Camponotus marginatus var. ruzskyi Emery, 1898c: 150 (w.) RUSSIA. Combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925b: 118. Subspecies of caryae: Wheeler, W.M. 1917d: 29; of marginatus: Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929b: 36. Raised to species: Arakelian, 1994: 88. Junior synonym of fallax: Radchenko, 1997b: 703.
 * kamensis. Camponotus marginatus var. kamensis Ruzsky, 1903b: 302 (w.) RUSSIA. Combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925b: 118. Subspecies of caryae: Wheeler, W.M. 1917c: 29. Junior synonym of fallax: Radchenko, 1997b: 703.
 * pageti. Camponotus (Myrmentoma) fallax subsp. pageti Hamann & Klemm, 1976: 674, fig. 1 (q.) GREECE. Junior synonym of fallax: Radchenko, 1997b: 703.