Camponotus gentingensis

A Weaver Ant that uses silk in its nest construction.

Identification
A member of the subgenus Karavaievia. This group of Camponotus species is known for their monomorphic workers and their nest weaving behavior.

Dumpert (1995) - Camponotus gentingensis is one of the lightest Karavaievia species, together with Camponotus asli, Camponotus belumensis, and Camponotus micragyne. The worker ants of these species are predominantly yellowish brown. Typical for C. gentingensis is the distinctly lighter colour of the alitrunk compared with head and gaster. Different between C. asli and C. gentingensis is the significant larger and wider head of the worker ants. Corresponding differences are valid for the PW values. In contrast to C. belumensis and C. asli, the C. gentingensis-workers are not at all shining. The same holds for the females of these species which are shining in the case of C. asli and C. belumensis and opaque in the case of C. gentingensis.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Malaysia.

Biology
General details about the biology of species in this subgenus can be found on the Karavaievia webpage.

Nomenclature

 *  gentingensis. Camponotus (Karavaievia) gentingensis Dumpert, in Dumpert, Maschwitz, et al., 1995: 94, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5 (w.q.m.) WEST MALAYSIA.

Worker
Holotype: TL 5.9, HL 1.64, HW 1.68, CI 102, SL 1.8, SI 92, PW 1.0, OD 0.42.

Head trapezoidal with rounded occipital corners; occipital margin straight or slightly concave, head sides convex. Length of head reaches nearly HW (CI I 02). Eyes are situated behind the midlength of the sides of the head; their maximum diameter is 0.43 mm, or about 0.25 HW. Apart from a slight projection behind the scapal insertion, frontal carinae are straight, slightly divergent, and extended to about midlength of head. Anterior clypeal margin straight, neither protruded nor excised. Mandibles short, with lateral borders strongly curved and five subequal teeth on each masticatory border. Antennal scapes projecting beyond the occipital margin by about one third of their length. Pedicel longer than the following flagellar segments; apical flagellar segments slightly thickened.

Alitrunk with deep impression between promesonotum and propodeum, and two raised stigmata at the deepest point of the impression. Promesonotum, seen in profile, broadly rounded and higher than propodeum. Dorsal part of the propodeum slightly convex, descending part shorter and straight. Petiolar profile with broad base, which tapers to a transverse ridge. Petiolar ridge pointed while seen from front or behind.

Head, gaster, and legs uniformly brown, alitrunk yellowish, scapes and basal antennal segments dark brown. Surface of head, alitrunk and gaster opaque, covered with very dense punctures; cuticular structure under SEM strongly reticulated, stronger than in all other Karavaievia species except Camponotus orinus. Yellowish white decumbent pubescence scarce. Yellowish white, erect and suberect longer hairs occur mainly on forehead and vertex, less dense on alitrunk and gaster.

Paratype: TL 5.4 ± 0.2 (standard deviation), HL 1.4±0.15,HW 1.4±0.17,CI99.5±4.4,SL 1.81 ±0.12, SI 94.6 ± 3.4, PW 0.98 ± 0.09, OD 0.45 ± 0.03 (17 measured).

Queen
Gynetype: TL 11.3. HL 2.4, HW 2.5. CI 104. SL 2.38, SI 105, PW 2.0, OD 0.65 (alate female).

Head nearly as long as wide (CI 104); sides of the head convex, occipital corners rounded. occipital margin slightly concave. Eyes are situated behind the midlength of the sides of the head and relatively smaller than those of Camponotus striatipes (0.26 as against 0.4-+ x HW). Frontal carinae extend about to miJlength of the head. Apart from a lateral projection heyond the scapal insertion, they are almost straight and only slightly divergent. Anterior clypeal margin -as in all known Karavaievia- queens- with distinct semicircular excision. The edges of the excision indented. Frontal area weakly delimited and not at all shining. It is as dull or opaque as the surrounding head parts. Mandibles strong rounded on outside and with 5 subequal teeth on inside. Petiolar profile with broad base which tapers to a transvers ridge. Petiolar ridge rounded when seen from front or behind.

Head uniformly brown, alitrunk distinctly lighter, gaster and most parts of legs and antennae darker brown. Within the alitrunk, metanotum and borders of scutellum darker brown than the rest of alitrunk. Cuticular structure of head and alitrunk reticulated and not shining. Wings brownish, veins yellow brown. Body covered with short decumbent pubescence; longer erect and suberect hairs scarcely on the whole body, denser between the frontal carinae and on clypeus.

Paratypes: TL 11.5 ±0.2 (standard deviation), HL2.5 ± 0.05, HW 2.54 ± 0.04, CI 102 ± 0.001, SL 2.5 ± 0.06, PW 1.99 ± 0.03, 00 0.67 ± 0.01 (4 measured).

Male
Allotype: TL 6.5, HL 0.81, HW 0.85, CI 104.4, SL 0.95, SI 99.7, PW 1.57, OD 0.43.

Head trapezoidal and nearly as long as wide (CI 104.4 ). Eyes prominent and extending to the upper end of the head sides. Occipital margin strongly convex with protruding ocelli. Anterior clypeal margin straight. neither protruding nor excised. Short frontal carinae sinuate, reaching back to midlength of head. Eyes large; maximum diameter 0.43 mm or about 0.45 HW. Scapes long, projecting beyond occipital margin of the head by about half their length. Pedicel expanded at its distal end and thicker than following tlagellar segments. Propodeal profile rounded, with convex dorsal and weakly concave descending part. Petiolar scale triangular in profile, with broad base tapering to a ridge. Ridge with a deep median excision.

Colour uniformly reddish brown, with the exception of the yellow brown mandibles, clypeus and the adjacent parts of the cheeks and distal antennal flagellum. Cuticle of head, alitrunk, and gaster slightly shining with dense punctures, seen under the binocular, caused by a distinct reticulated cuticular structure. Decumbent pubescence on gaster, but nearly lacking on head and alitrunk (clear difference to Camponotus melanus); longer erect and suberect hairs scarce on head and even less dense on alitrunk and gaster.

Paratypes: TL 6.5 ± 0.01 (standard deviation); HL 0.85 ± 0.04; HW 0.8 ± 0.035; CI 105.0 ± 4.5; SL 1.0 ± 0.03; SI 89.8 ± 0.03; PW 1.12 ± 0.04; 00 0.43 ± 0.015 (6 measured).

Type Material
Holotype worker. Peninsular Malaysia, Selangor: Gombak Valley. ca. 25 km north of Kuala Lumpur, near Ulu Gombak Field Studies Centre of the University of Malaya, February/12/1992, U. Maschwitz leg. (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel).

Paratypes: 17 workers with the same data as holotype (2 in Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University; 2 Forest Research Institute of Malaysia in Kepong; 2 in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. Genova; 11 in collection of the author).

Gynetype queen, Peninsular Malaysia, Selangor: Gombak Valley. ca 25 km north of Kuala Lumpur near Ulu Gombak Field Studies Centre of the University of Malaya, February/12/1992, U. Maschwitz leg. (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel).

Paratypes: 4 queens with same data as gynetype (1 in Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University; 1 in Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel; 1 in Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong, Malaysia; I in collection of the author).

Allotype male, Peninsular Malaysia, Gombak Valley, ca. 25 km north of Kuala Lumpur, near the U1u Gombak Field Studies Centre of the University of Malaya, February/12/1992, U. Maschwitz leg. (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel).

Paratypes: 6 males with same data as allotype ( l Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University; I Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong; 1 in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genova; 3 in collection of the author).

Etymology
The name is derived from the fact that the first and hitherto only colony of this species was found near a street going to Genting Highlands.