Camponotus modoc

Nests in rotten logs and stumps, or rarely under stones. They may also nest in the wood of buildings, especially log cabins in forested areas.

Identification
The majors, minors, and females of this species are predominantly black, dull ants, with slightly reddish legs and funiculi. The scapes are without erect hairs (except at the apex), the hairs on the clypeus are located mostly along the borders, the dorsal and ventral surface of the head have few erect hairs, the cheeks and sides of the head are without erect hairs. Most surfaces have golden, appressed hairs, which are scarce on the head and mesosoma, and slightly more abundant on the gaster, where at least a few of the hairs overlap adjacent hairs. (Mackay and Mackay 2002)

Wheeler (1910) - I would regard California as the type locality of modoc, which is the location where it seems to be rather constant. The specimens from Utah and South Dakota have paler and somewhat longer pubescence and therefore form a transition to pennsylvanicus. All of my specimens, however, show that there is little difficulty in separating this form from whymperi (= Camponotus herculeanus). In the northern and western portion of its range, it seems to descend to lower levels than this form, but in the mountains of New Mexico it seems to occur in the same stations.

Distribution
Southwestern Canada, western United States. Mexico, Chihuahua and Nuevo León.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: Canada, United States. Neotropical Region: Mexico.

Biology
Mackay and Mackay (2002), in New Mexico: Found in forested areas, ranging from deciduous through pinyon pine and ponderosa pine, pine-spruce-popular and spruce forests up to subalpine fir (2490 - 3000 meters altitude). Brood and reproductives occurred in nests from June to September, dealate females were found from July to October. Workers escape with brood when the nest is disturbed, and are preyed on by members of the Formica rufa species complex. One colony was nesting together with Formica argentea, another with Formica hewitti, a third with Formica neoclara. Another colony was together with Tapinoma sessile.

Nevada, Wheeler and Wheeler (1986) - C. modoc is strictly a montane ant: 59 records were from the Coniferous Forest Biome, 7 were from the ecotone above, and 3 were from the Alpine. We have nest data for only 18 colonies: all were nesting in rotten wood. Medias and minors were found tending aphids on small pine branches. Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) and robins (Turdus migratorius) fed on sexual forms during a mating flight on 18 July in the Coniferous Forest Biome. The myrmecophile Xenodusa reflexa (Walker) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae; del. L.M. Chilson) was taken in a nest.

Castes

 * Worker

Nomenclature

 *  modoc. Camponotus (Camponotus) herculeanus var. modoc Wheeler, W.M. 1910d: 333 (s.w.q.m.) U.S.A. Combination in C. (Camponotus): Emery, 1925b: 72. Subspecies of pennsylvanicus: Creighton, 1950a: 369; of herculeanus: Brown, 1950d: 158. Raised to species: Hunt & Snelling, R.R. 1975: 22; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1426; Mackay, Lowrie, et al. 1988: 104 (in key).

Worker
Major and minor. Differing from Camponotus whymperi (= Camponotus herculeanus) in sculpture, pilosity and color. The shagreening of the head is coarser, so that it is even more opaque, especially on the sides and posterior corners. The punctures of the gaster are larger and the whole surface rougher and more opaque. Hairs and pubescence golden yellow, the former much as in whymperi, except that they are shorter and more appressed on the scapes and tibie. The pubescence is much longer and more conspicuous. especially on the upper surface of the gaster, but decidedly shorter than in Camponotus pennsylvanicus. Head, thorax, petiole and gaster black; legs deep red. Coxae dark brown; antennae varying from black to dark brown, the funiculus usually somewhat paler than the scape. In the worker media and minor, the mandibles may be tinged with red.

Queen
Closely resembling the, worker major in sculpture, color and pilosity. The thorax differs from that of the female whymperi in being opaque and densely shagreened, except the scutellum and metanotum, which are smooth and shining. In some specimens, the mesonotum is subopaque, but not as smooth as in whymperi.

Male
Indistinguishable from the male of whymperi.

Type Material
Numerous specimens collected from a variety of US states. Despite the range of locations Wheeler stated California is the type locality.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Allred D. M. 1982. Ants of Utah. The Great Basin Naturalist 42: 415-511.
 * Allred, D.M. 1982. The ants of Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 42:415-511.
 * Beck D. E., D. M. Allred, W. J. Despain. 1967. Predaceous-scavenger ants in Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 27: 67-78
 * Blacker, N.C. 1992. Some Ants from Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. J. Entomol. Soc. Bri. Columbia 89:3-12.
 * Blacker, N.C. 1992. Some ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia 89:3-12
 * Cole A. C., Jr. 1942. The ants of Utah. American Midland Naturalist 28: 358-388.
 * Cole, A.C. 1936. An annotated list of the ants of Idaho (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Canadian Entomologist 68(2):34-39
 * Cover S. P., and R. A. Johnson. 20011. Checklist of Arizona Ants. Downloaded on January 7th at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/AZants-2011%20updatev2.pdf
 * Gregg, R.T. 1963. The Ants of Colorado.
 * Higgins J. W., N. S. Cobb, S. Sommer, R. J. Delph, and S. L. Brantley. 2014. Ground-dwelling arthropod responses to succession in a pinyon-juniper woodland. Ecosphere 5(1):5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00270.1
 * Hoey-Chamberlain R. V., L. D. Hansen, J. H. Klotz and C. McNeeley. 2010. A survey of the ants of Washington and Surrounding areas in Idaho and Oregon focusing on disturbed sites (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology. 56: 195-207
 * Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
 * La Rivers I. 1968. A first listing of the ants of Nevada. Biological Society of Nevada, Occasional Papers 17: 1-12.
 * Lidgren, B.S. and A.M. MacIsaac. 2002. A Preliminary Study of Ant Diversity and of Ant Dependence on Dead Wood in Central Interior British Columbia. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-181.
 * Lindgren, B.S. and A.M. MacIsaac. 2002. Ant dependence on dead wood in Central Interior British Columbia. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep.PSW-GTR-181
 * Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
 * Mackay W. P., and E. E. Mackay. 2002. The ants of New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 400 pp.
 * Mackay, W., D. Lowrie, A. Fisher, E. Mackay, F. Barnes and D. Lowrie. 1988. The ants of Los Alamos County, New Mexico (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). pages 79-131 in J.C. Trager, editor, Advances in Myrmecololgy.
 * Mackay, W., and E. Mackay. The ants of New Mexico. The Edwin Mellen Press, 2002.
 * Mackay, W.P. and E. Mackay. XXXX. The Ants of New Mexico
 * Mallis A. 1941. A list of the ants of California with notes on their habits and distribution. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 40: 61-100.
 * Michigan State University, The Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection. Accessed on January 7th 2014 at http://www.arc.ent.msu.edu:8080/collection/index.jsp
 * Parson G. L., G Cassis, A. R. Moldenke, J. D. Lattin, N. H. Anderson, J. C. Miller, P. Hammond, T. Schowalter. 1991. Invertebrates of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, western Cascade Range, Oregon. V: An annotated list of insects and other arthropods. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-290. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 168 p.
 * Rees D. M., and A. W. Grundmann. 1940. A preliminary list of the ants of Utah. Bulletin of the University of Utah, 31(5): 1-12.
 * Smith F. 1941. A list of the ants of Washington State. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 17(1): 23-28.
 * Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
 * Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1986. The ants of Nevada. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, vii + 138 pp.
 * Wheeler G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1987. A Checklist of the Ants of South Dakota. Prairie Nat. 19(3): 199-208.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1910. The North American ants of the genus Camponotus Mayr. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 20: 295-354.
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1978. Mountain ants of Nevada. Great Basin Naturalist 35(4):379-396
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Montana. Psyche 95:101-114
 * Wheeler, G.C. and J. Wheeler. 1988. A checklist of the ants of Wyoming. Insecta Mundi 2(3&4):230-239