Camponotus hova

This species was found in dry leaf litter next to a date palm tree in Yemen (Sharaf et al., 2017).

Identification
Collingwood et al. (2004) - Superficial resemblance to the Afrotropical Camponotus maculatus, but differs in the reduced number of ventral head hairs, less clearly defined pale spots on the gaster and generally smaller size.

Distribution
A species described originally from Madagascar, commonly found on islands of East Africa (Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Collingwood et al. 2004), and recorded from the Arabian Peninsula from Oman (Collingwood 1985) and Yemen (Collingwood and Agosti 1996, Sharaf et al., 2017).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Comoros, Mozambique, Socotra Archipelago, Yemen. Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Mayotte, Seychelles. Palaearctic Region: Oman.

Nomenclature

 *  hova. Camponotus maculatus r. hova Forel, 1891b: 35 (s.w.q.) MADAGASCAR. [First available use of Camponotus rubripes r. maculatus var. hova Forel, 1886f: 150; unavailable name.] Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 85. Subspecies of maculatus: Forel, 1897c: 200; Forel, 1907e: 14; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1040. Raised to species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 235; Emery, 1920c: 5; Emery, 1925b: 85. Current subspecies: nominal plus becki, boivini, cemeryi, fairmairei, fulvus, hovahovoides, hovoides, mixtellus, obscuratus, pictiventris, radamae.

Determination Clarifications
A record of Camponotus maculatus for Socotra (Kohl 1907), based on specimens collected in 1899 by the expedition of the Vienna museum, should certainly be referred to C. hova.