Camponotus grandidieri

Camponotus grandidieri is widespread in Africa and the Malagasy region. In the latter it occupies many different types of habitats, but is absent on Reunion Island. It has been collected from coastal scrub and littoral forest to spiny forest and tropical dry forest through montane rainforest and savannah woodland. It is also known from mangrove forest and human-dominated areas such as urban gardens and roadsides. Across these habitats, colony nests have been found most often in dead branches above the ground and in rotten logs, and rarely in dead tree stumps, rot pockets and trunks of live trees, under rocks, and under root mats and litter on rocks. Individual workers forage on the ground and on lower vegetation.

Identification
Rakotonirina et al. (2017) - Body color black. A few pairs of whitish erect hairs confined to posteromedian portion of head; gap between two hairs on promesonotum usually larger than length of hair. Erect hairs on uppermost portion of petiolar node, posterodorsal angle of propodeum, and junction between lateral propodeal surface and declivity equal to or longer than distance between posteroventral angle of mesosoma and propodeal spiracle.

See discussion under Camponotus auropubens.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Comoros, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe. Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Seychelles.

Nomenclature

 *  grandidieri. Camponotus grandidieri Forel, 1886c: ciii (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.
 * [Camponotus grandidieri Forel, 1879a: 115. Nomen nudum.]
 * Forel, 1891b: 39 (s.); Forel, 1892l: 232 (m.); Forel, 1912k: 166 (q.).
 * Combination in C. (Myrmotrema): Forel, 1913a: 145.
 * Subspecies of foraminosus: Mayr, 1893: 195; Forel, 1907e: 14.
 * Revived status as species: Forel, 1914a: 270.
 * Senior synonym of atrabilis, comorensis: Rakotonirina, Csosz & Fisher, 2017: 223.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus eumendax, ruspolii.
 * atrabilis. Camponotus (Myrmotrema) grandidieri var. atrabilis Santschi, 1915c: 273 (w.) MADAGASCAR.
 * Junior synonym of grandidieri: Rakotonirina, Csosz & Fisher, 2017: 223.
 * comorensis. Camponotus (Myrmotrema) grandidieri var. comorensis Santschi, 1915c: 274 (s.w.) COMORO IS.
 * Junior synonym of grandidieri: Rakotonirina, Csosz & Fisher, 2017: 223.

Worker
Rakotonirina et al. (2017) - Minor In full-face view head small (CS: 1.23±0.13; 1.05–1.64) and as long as broad (CWb/CL: 0.92±0.03; 0.88–0.99), but slightly converging anteriorly; posterior margin more or less convex. Median portion of clypeus transversely trapezoidal (ClyL/GPD: 0.66±0.03; 0.60–0.71). Eyes either breaking lateral outlines of head or not, their posterior level located at posterior sixth portion of head (PoOc/CL: 0.16±0.01; 0.15– 0.19). Anterior clypeal margin truncate with obtuse lateral angle; posterior margin weakly notched medially. Mandible triangular, apical margin armed with six sharp teeth. Antennal scape long, approximately its distal portion surpassing posterior cephalic margin. In lateral view, outline of promesonotal dorsum broadly convex, without anterior and dorsolateral margination; propodeal dorsum inclined posteriorly. In dorsal view, mesosoma widest at level of pronotum and decreasing in width toward propodeal declivity. Propodeal spiracle opening slitlike. Petiolar node scalelike and tapering dorsally. Mesotibial and metatibial spurs pectinate.

Dorsolateral portion of head and mesosoma finely and densely reticulate punctate, punctures on lateral portion of mesosoma much larger. Gastral tergites with imbricate sculpture or much finer and denser reticulate punctures anteriorly, that become sparser posteriorly. Mandible imbricate superimposed with sparse piligerous punctures. Whitish erect hairs thinner and shorter on head and pronotum, becoming thicker from mesonotum through petiolar node and gastral segments. Hairs arranged as follows: a few pairs on median portion of head from clypeus to near posterior cephalic margin; a few pairs on pronotum, one to three pairs on mesonotum, scattered on propodeal dorsum and junction of lateral propodeal surface and declivity; a row on upper half of posterolateral margin of petiolar node. Some erect hairs on dorsum of petiolar node, posterodorsal angle of propodeum and junction between lateral propodeal surface and declivity equal to or longer than distance between posteroventral angle of mesosoma and opening of propodeal spiracle. On mesosoma, pubescence shorter than distance between hairs; on gastral tergites pubescence longer than distance between hairs; pubescence lacking on upper half of mesopleuron. Body color black and dull; appendages basally reddish or dark brown, apical portion and antennae brown to light brown.

Major With characteristics of minor worker, except: head much larger (CS: 1.97±0.21; 1.56–2.21; CWb/CL: 1.03±0.04; 0.95–1.08); lateral margins slightly convex and converging to base of more robust mandibles. Apical margin of mandible with up to seven teeth. Median portion of clypeus more rectangular (ClyL/GPD: 0.88±0.07; 0.78–0.97). Eyes located more medially (CWb/CL: 1.03±0.04; 0.95–1.08; CW/CL: 0.92±0.02; 0.89– 0.95) and more anteriorly, their posterior level on posterior fifth of head (PoOc/CL: 0.20±0.01; 0.18–0.23). One fifth of apical portion of scape extending beyond posterior cephalic margin. In dorsal view, small portion of metanotum visible along midline of mesosoma, between metanotal groove and propodeum. Sculpture of lateral portion of head from near base of mandible, along level of interior ocular margin, to level of postocular margin imbricate, superimposed with sparse, larger punctures, which are equipped with two to four smaller punctures from which one appressed hair arises medially. More pairs of whitish erect hairs on median portion of head; numerous on promesonotum. Body color the same as minor except mandibles, anterior portion of clypeus, and anterolateral portion of head darker in color.