Camponotus festai

Identification
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - C. festai, together with Camponotus riedeli and Camponotus samius, belong to a species complex characterized by abundant, long, decumbent, and erect setae on the scape and tibiae (Radchenko, 1997b), and distant and strongly divergent frontal carinae (Emery, 1920). Major and media workers of C. festai and C. riedeli have a row of erect coarse setae on the dorsal surface of the scape, in addition to decumbent pilosity and distal bristles, and suberect to erect bristle-like setae on the dorsal surface of the hindtibia, whereas C. samius has no such setae. C. festai differs from C. riedeli Pisarski by the shorter, suberect bristle-like setae on the hindtibia (in C. riedeli, the length of such setae sometimes exceeds the maximum tibial diameter) and by the usually unicolorous mesosoma and legs, as opposed to a variable color of the mesosoma and legs (in C. riedeli, the mesosoma ventrolaterally and the coxae are distinctly paler than the mesosomal dorsum); in only five out of 80 specimens of C. festai is the dorsum of the mesosoma and tarsi dark brownish-black, and the pleura of mesosoma and coxae red. C. festai differs from C. samius by having prismatic hindtibia, as opposed to flattened hindtibia without a distinct dorsomedial ridge, and more abundant pilosity. C. festai has distinctly more erect setae on the scape: on average 13.4 (range = 3–21, n = 34) compared to 5.9 (range = 1–12, n = 14). The major worker has on the dorsum of the mesosoma more than 90 setae (n = 10) in C. festai and 56–60 setae (n = 10) in C. samius. C. festai has a distinctly broader head in the major workers: HW/HL ranges 0.91–1.10 (n = 10) in C. festai, and 0.87–0.90 (n = 10) in C. samius.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 *  festai. Camponotus maculatus subsp. festai Emery, 1894d: 1 (s.w.) LEBANON. Emery, 1898c: 149 (q.). Tohmé & Tohmé, 1999: 476 (m.). Combination in C. (Myrmoturba): Forel, 1913d: 434; in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 99. Raised to species: Emery, 1905d: 31 (in text); Emery, 1908a: 187; Emery, 1920c: 6. Senior synonym of caeciliae: Emery, 1908a: 187. See also: Tohmé & Tohmé, 1999: 476.
 * caeciliae. Camponotus maculatus r. caeciliae Forel, 1906c: 188 (s.w.) TURKEY. Junior synonym of festai: Emery, 1908a: 187.

Description
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - TL = 6.9–13.4, HL = 1.60–3.55, HW = 1.13–3.75, EL = 0.40–0.65, SL = 2.09–3.13, ML = 2.66–4.57, PW = 1.04–1.99, mTbL = 1.76–2.85, hTbL = 2.54–3.87 (n = 20).