Camponotus kugleri

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - C. kugleri is similar to Camponotus fellah, but is much smaller: TL = 5.6–11.7 mm, as compared to 7.8–17.2 mm of C. fellah. At equal body size, C. kugleri has broader head and shorter legs: major workers of C. kugleri (HL = 3 mm) have HW/HL = 0.98–1.04 and mTbL/HL = 0.66–0.74 (n = 10), while C. fellah with similar HL have HW/HL = 0.72–0.90 and mTbL/HL = 0.83–1.12 (n = 20); minor workers of C. kugleri (HL < 2 mm) have HW/HL = 0.73–0.80 and mTbL/HL = 0.88–0.99 (n = 10), while C. fellah with similar HL have HW/HL = 0.62–0.70 and mTbL/HL = 1.08–1.18 (n = 10). C. kugleri major worker has legs uniformly colored, always paler than mesosoma, as opposed to uneven brownish, with coxae paler than tibiae, or black in C. fellah. C. kugleri is similar to the Afrotropical Camponotus kersteni and Camponotus empedocles (studied specimens identified by C.A. Collingwood) from Saudi Arabia in size, shape, stoutness (with short mesosoma and appendages), and pilosity pattern, but differs from these species in several details. Major workers of C. kugleri differ from the Arabian specimens by having the head with the lateral margins arched, medially subparallel, as opposed to medially straight and parallel, hindtibia with row of suberect bristles, as opposed to decumbent to subapressed bristles or setae, and mesosoma uniformly dark and legs uniformly pale, as opposed to mesosoma and legs uniformly dark in C. kersteni, or mesosoma ventrally, coxae and femora basally paler than mesosoma dorsum and tibiae in C. empedocles. C. kugleri differs from C. empedocles by having the ventral surface of the head with short setae (0.21–0.27 mm) and the body pubescence short and sparse (on dorsum of the first gaster tergite hairlets length = 0.04–0.06 mm, distance between them = 0.05–0.10 mm), whereas C. empedocles has the ventral surface of the head with longer setae (0.35–0.41 mm) and the body pubescence longer and more abundant (on dorsum of the first gaster tergite hairlets length = 0.06–0.09 mm, distance between them = 0.04–0.06 mm); minor workers of C. kugleri have longer head, scape and tibiae, and variable color, as opposed to shorter head and appendages, and uniformly dark minor of C. empedocles. C. kugleri major worker has the size, shape, and stoutness similar to Camponotus barbaricus sensu lato, but differs from Camponotus barbaricus barbaricus Emery by the lack of erect setae on the gena, as opposed to abundant pilosity on the gena, and from Camponotus barbaricus xanthomelas Emery by dark mesosoma and gaster, and by uniformly pale legs, as opposed to variable color of mesosoma, legs, and gaster in the latter species.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Israel.

Nomenclature

 *  kugleri. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) kugleri Ionescu-Hirsch, 2010: 78, figs. 4, 12 (s.w.) ISRAEL.

Worker
Head. As long as wide in major worker (HW/HL = 0.98–1.04), strongly rounded laterally; scape relatively short (SL/HW = 0.70–0.79), barely surpassing occipital margin; head of minor worker longer than wide (HW/HL = 0.73–0.80), rectangular, with lateral margins parallel, abruptly rounded posterior to eye, posteromedially slightly convex; scape of minor worker relatively long (SL/HW = 1.40–1.56), surpassing occiput by half of its length.

Mesosoma. Short, much narrower than head in major worker, only slightly narrower than head in minor worker. Hindtibia distinctly compressed laterally, with feeble longitudinal ridge in major worker, without ridge in minor worker.

Sculpture. Head and mesosoma densely punctuate-reticulate, matte; gaster and leg shiny, with widely scattered piligerous pits; minor worker shiny with sub-opaque mesosoma.

Pilosity. Erect setae: at most, 6 on dorsum of head (except clypeus), 4 on dorsum of pronotum, 3 on dorsum of mesonotum, 4 on dorsum of propodeum, 3 on dorsal margin of petiolar scale; gena without setae, ventral head surface with 10 short setae; hindtibia with row of suberect bristles along its ventral surface; setae length ranges 0.18–0.55 mm on dorsum of head and mesosoma and on gaster, and 0.21–0.27 mm on ventral head surface. Entire body with short, apressed, scattered pubescence; on dorsum of first gaster, tergite hairlets length ranges 0.04–0.06 mm, distance between hairlets ranges 0.05–0.10 mm.

Color. Major worker with head, mesosoma, and gaster uniformly brown to black, legs uniformly yellow to light brownish-red, petiole yellow to dark brown; media worker as major, rarely with mesosoma ventrally, and gaster anteriorly, yellowish-brown; petiole yellow; minor worker with head and gastral apex brownish-yellow; mesosoma, gaster anteriorly and legs yellowish-brown.

TL = 5.6–11.7, HL = 1.43–3.24, HW = 1.04–3.24, EL = 0.43–0.63, SL = 1.56–2.42, ML = 2.07–3.59, PW = 0.86–1.88, mTbL = 1.25–2.23, hTbL = 1.84–3.01 (n = 40).

Queen
Head. Broader than mesosoma, trapezoidal, longer than wide, broadest posterior to eye.

Mesosoma. Tibia without distinct longitudinal ridge.

Sculpture. Similar to major worker. Head and mesosoma matte, gaster and leg shiny.

Pilosity. Gena without setae; ventral head surface with numerous short, erect setae, anteroapically curved; hindtibia with row of bristles along ventral surface. Pubescence as in worker, one gyne without pubescence on gaster.

Color. Entire body brownish-black to black.

TL = 13.4–13.8, HL = 2.85–2.98, HW = 2.582.66, EL = 0.700.74, SL = 2.34–2.50, ML = 5.16–5.35, PW = 2.38–2.54, mTbL = 2.07, hTbL = 3.01 (n = 2).

Type Material
Holotype worker, ISRAEL: ‘Enot Zuqim, 26.x.2008, A. Ionescu (deposited in ).

Paratypes: same collection data as holotype (14 workers, 1 queen); “Mer Morte”, E. Schmitz (Camponotus maculatus subsp. thoracicus var. mortis Forel, 1910: 13, unavailable name, in Bolton, 1995: 112; 3 workers, TAUI and ); ‘Enot Zuqim, 25.xii.1944, H. Bytinski-Salz (3 workers); 26.v.2008, L. Zalman (1 workers); ‘En Ziq, 16.viii.1966, J. Kugler (6 workers; 1 queen).

Etymology
This species is named after the late Prof. Jehoshua Kugler, who collected some of the paratypes and was the first to recognize this taxon as a good species.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
 * Ionescu-Hirsch A. 2009. An annotated list of Camponotus of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a key and descriptions of new species. ISRAEL JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY 39: 5798.
 * Vonshak M., and A. Ionescu-Hirsch. 2009. A checklist of the ants of Israel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 39: 33-55.