Camponotus janeti

This rare species has been collected only a few times from northern Queensland. The only biological notes refer to one collection from a tree in parkland.

Identification
A member of the Camponotus macrocephalus species-group. This group has the following characters:


 * Fore femurs swollen, much greater in diameter than middle and hind femurs, generally more swollen than in most other Camponotus species.
 * Spines or bristles on the lower surfaces of the tibiae lacking, or at most, only one or two (most Camponotus species possess two rows of 5 to 10 spines).
 * Major workers and queens with the anterior of the head is truncated and flattened (phragmotic).
 * Major and minor workers present, but not intermediate-sized workers (worker caste dimorphic).

Within this group, this species can be diangosed as follows:

Mesosoma low and long in profile with plentiful long, erect setae. Head, including underside, and scapes with plentiful long, erect setae.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus janeti Forel, 1895f: 417 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
 * Combination in C. (Myrmamblys): Forel, 1914a: 271.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1896d: 374 (in list); Emery, 1925b: 138; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 116; Taylor, 1987a: 13; Bolton, 1995b: 106; McArthur & Shattuck, 2001: 35 (redescription); McArthur, 2007a: 302; McArthur, 2012: 114, 210; McArthur, 2014: 46.

Major worker
Very dark brown to black all over except red teeth, red brown antennae, lighter limbs. In lateral view. Head: Side glossy, finely reticulate, finely punctate with plentiful mid length setae (about 0.2 mm long), vertex with plentiful erect setae and no pubescence; underside of head with plentiful short and long, erect setae. Pronotum: Uniformly flatly convex, dorsum with plentiful mid length erect and few flat-lying setae. Mesonotum: Flatly convex, dorsum with plentiful erect setae; sides reticulate, more strongly below than above. Metanotum: Indistinct. Propodeum: Dorsum with plentiful erect setae, uniformly convex; sides reticulate, more strongly below than above; angle widely rounded; declivity straight; ratio dorsum/declivity approximately 1; spiracle projecting rearward, well forward of declivity, and midway between coxa and dorsum, surrounded by erect and flat-lying setae. Node: With long, erect and short, flat-lying setae; anterior face, lower half straight, upper convex; summit blunt; posterior face, lower half, straight upper half convex. Caster: Finely striate. Fore femur: Swollen. Mid tibia: Plentiful upstanding long setae, without bristles inside. In dorsal view. Head: Very finely densely punctate with few coarse punctations; sides straight, slightly tapering to front; vertex convex; scape with erect and flat-lying setae. Frontal carinae wide, strongly diverging at front, posterior half straight; frontal area small, diamond shaped, smoother than surroundings; max HW just posterior to eye centre. Clypeus: Without striations, scarcely truncated, sides widest at centre, less than one third HW, with few erect setae and no pubescence, without carina; anterior margin projecting, straight, narrow. In front or rear view. Node: Summit wide, outer thirds convex, centre third straight or slightly concave; with plentiful long setae.

Minor worker
In lateral view. Very dark brown to black all over except red mandibles, lighter antennae, darker red brown limbs. Head: Side glossy, finely reticulate with plentiful mid length and longer setae, vertex with plentiful, erect setae, no pubescence; underside of head with plentiful longish erect setae. Pronotum: Rounded lateral margin, uniformly flatly convex; dorsum with plentiful erect and few flatlying setae. Mesonotum: Flatly convex, dorsum with plentiful long erect setae. Metanotum: A slight depression. Propodeum: Dorsum with plentiful erect setae of various lengths; uniformly convex, making whole mesosoma evenly convex; sides more strongly reticulate below than above, angle widely rounded; declivity flatly convex; ratio dorsum/declivity about 1.5; spiracle projecting outward, well forward of declivity and midway between coxa and dorsum, surrounded by erect and flat-lying setae. Node: Long, with long erect and short, flat-lying setae; anterior face lower half straight convex above; summit rounded with weak ridge; posterior face lower half straight, upper half convex. Gaster: Glossy slightly finely striate. Fore femur: Swollen. Mid tibia: With plentiful coarse, mostly decumbent setae, without bristles inside. Dorsal view. Head: Very finely and densely punctate, sides straight, strongly tapering to front; vertex convex, angles widely rounded; scape with erect and flat-lying setae; frontal carinae wide, strongly diverging; frontal area distinctly diamond shaped, depressed; max HW at eye centre; eyes close to corners. Clypeus: Wide, with few short decumbent setae; canna distinct; anterior margin projecting, mostly convex. Front or rear view. Node: Summit wide, convex, with plentiful long setae.

Measurements
HW a95-1.70 mm, HL 1.00-2.00 mm, PW 0.70- 1.15 mm, HT 0.75-1.00 mm, EL 0.25-0.35 mm, CAR W 0.50-0.90 mm, CLY W 0.50-0.65 mm, TL 0.90- 1.20 mm.

Worker (major) Length 8 mm.

Mandibles short thick armed with 6 or 7 teeth, punctate, finely shagreen between punctations. Head trapezoidal, elongated almost rectangular slightly indented behind. Eyes situated at posterior 1/3. Scapes scarcely reaching occiput. Frontal carinae very long extremely diverging more distant from each other than from the borders of the head. Clypeus flattened, rectangular, elongated, with rounded angles, (its median section) more narrow in front than behind, bidented on its anterior border, without keel, with a strong median impression behind its anterior border. Thorax sub depressed (less than albopilosus) a little more narrow behind (than albopilosus) but much less than in the usual forms, without indentation, but with 2 wide and strongly imprinted sutures. Metanotum (= propodeum) low; basal and declivity faces, sub equal, they pass through a rounded curve from one to the other. Basal face rather wider than long. Pedicel topped by a node thick, low, wide, obtuse and widely indented at the summit.

Quite shiny, finely and weakly transversely wrinkled; head sub opaque, finely reticulate. Coarse punctation superimposed, irregular, widely spaced, quite abundant on the head, more abundant and more coarse at the front. On the gaster the punctation is quite fine. Erect pilosity which is quite abundant, fine pale yellow, moderate length, widespread on all the body the limbs and the scapes. Pubescence very diluted. Black. Scapes, base of tibias, 1st segment of funiculus and femural rings of a dark red. Tarsi and funicles brown, segments of gaster bordered yellow. Worker (minor) 5.6 mm long   Head much shorter than major scarcely longer than wide, a little wider behind than in front. Clypeus convex, keeled. Pedicel with a cubic cuniform knot. Punctation of head very fine and more widely spaced than the major, peripheral 1/2 of the mandibles reddish, Tarsi russet reddish, extremities of scapes brown. In other respects quite like the major. Mackay, Queensland (Gilbert Turner)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Forel A. 1895. Nouvelles fourmis d'Australie, récoltées à The Ridge, Mackay, Queensland, par M. Gilbert Turner. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 39: 417-428.