Camponotus kiesenwetteri

This species inhabits dry grassy areas and thin forests, building nests in soil, often under rocks (Radchenko 1997). It is strongly associated with pine forests, and a single nest was located under a stone inside a Pinus pinea forest in Strofilias National Park, Greece (Borowiec & Salata, 2021).

Identification
Salata et al. (2019) - A member of the Camponotus kiesenwetteri species group. Head, mesosoma, and gaster uniformly black; metanotal groove present, shallow; propodeum with distinct dentate protrusions; body densely punctate, appears dull; base of scape with extension; whole body bears long, thick, pale, dense and erect setae, and short appressed microsetae; petiolar scale thick.

The species can be easily separated by the following combination of characters: strongly sculptured body, mesosoma with metanotal groove and posterior margin of propodeum with distinct dentate protrusions, and antennal scape with distinct basal extension. Camponotus nitidescens and Camponotus schulzi both differ in having a partly shiny body, and Camponotus boghossiani differs in having a propodeum without apical protrusions and an antennal scape without basal extension.

Distribution
Salata et al. (2019) - Greece: Attica, North Aegean Islands, South Aegean Islands (Cyclades, Dodecanese), Central Greece, Crete (Chania, Heraklion, Lasithi, Rethymno), Ionian Islands, Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Peloponnese; Cyprus; Turkey: Balıkesir, İzmir and Muğla.

This is a common species, so far not recorded only from Epirus and Thessaly (Borowiec et al., 2022).

The species was recorded from most of Greek provinces except Epirus and Thessaly.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Cyprus, Greece , Iran, Turkey.

Biology
See the Camponotus kiesenwetteri species group page for information about the biology of C. kiesenwetteri.

Nomenclature

 * . Formica (Hypoclinea) kiesenwetteri Roger, 1859: 241 (w.m.) (m. excluded, see Mayr, 1861: 39) GREECE (Zakynthos (= Zante) I.).
 * [Misspelled as kiesenvetteri by André, 1874: 178 (in key).]
 * Forel, 1886e: clxi (q.m.).
 * Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1861: 36 (in key);
 * combination in C. (Orthonotomyrmex): Forel, 1914a: 273; Santschi, 1921f: 310;
 * combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Forel, 1912i: 92; Emery, 1925b: 121.
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1861: 36 (in key); Roger, 1861b: 164; Mayr, 1863: 399; Roger, 1863b: 1; André, 1874: 178 (in key); Emery & Forel, 1879: 449; Forel, 1879a: 94; André, 1882a: 150 (in key); Forel, 1886e: clx; Forel, 1889: 260; Dalla Torre, 1893: 237; Emery, 1894j: 10; Emery, 1896d: 376 (in list); Forel, 1910a: 23; Forel, 1911d: 355; Emery, 1915h: 2; Emery, 1925b: 121; Menozzi, 1936d: 304; Hamann & Klemm, 1976: 677; Aktaç, 1977: 126; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 58; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 283 (in key); Collingwood, 1993b: 195; Bolton, 1995b: 106; Radchenko, 1996b: 1197 (in key); Radchenko, 1997b: 705; Petrov, 2006: 108 (in key); Legakis, 2011: 31; Karaman, C. et al. 2011: 189; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 477; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 7; Karaman, C. & Aktaç, 2013: 50 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 35 (see note in bibliography); Lebas, et al. 2016: 136; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 4; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 43; Salata, Loss, et al. 2019: 92.
 * Senior synonym of cypria: Salata, Loss, et al. 2019: 92.
 * cypria. Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) kiesenwetteri var. cypria Emery, 1920c: 26 (w.) CYPRUS.
 * Combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925b: 121.
 * Subspecies of kiesenwetteri: Emery, 1925b: 121; Bolton, 1995b: 95.
 * Junior synonym of kiesenwetteri: Salata, Loss, et al. 2019: 92.

Taxonomic Notes
Seifert (2019): This taxon has been described from Greece. The type specimen depicted in antweb.org under FOCOL2486 shows a much stronger, more reticulate-foveolate sculpture and much denser pubescence on all body surfaces than observed in any member of the C. lateralis group. This results in a matte surface appearance at smaller magnifications. Yet, C. kiesenwetteri is certainly related to this group considering several body shape characters.

Type Material
Salata et al. (2019) - Syntype workers, Greece [Syntype workers of Formica (Hypoclinea) kiesenwetteri, AntWeb, (FOCOL2486 and FOCOL2487)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
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