Camponotus clarior

A principally eastern, eremaean species that is known in the SWBP from a single collection taken by McArthur from just south of the Billabong Roadhouse, near Shark Bay. The ants were collected from a nest in a hollow branch (A. McArthur, pers. comm.). Elsewhere in WA, workers of this species have been collected from the Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve, north-east of Kalgoorlie. (Heterick 2009)

Identification
A member of the Camponotus nigriceps species group. McArthur and Adams (1996) - Camponotus clarior is easily distinguished by the strikingly uniform yellow colour of head and mesosoma. The gaster colour of specimens from central southern Australia is also yellowish or honey coloured whereas specimens from one population near the Western Australian border have a brownish gaster. This species is sympatric with Camponotus nigriceps in mallee at Danggali Conservation Park, South Australia. Nest entrances of C. nigriceps and C. clarior in mallee habitats comprising Eucalyptus dumosa, E. socialis, E. gracillis or E. cyanophilla are distinct (G. L. Howie, personal communication). The entrance to the nest is a small hole in a hollow branch often 2 m above ground. Refuse from cleaning the galleries is deposited as a conspicuous cone sometimes 30 cm in height beneath this hole.

Heterick (2009) - Camponotus clarior strongly resembles C. nigriceps, but have a pale coloured head, concolorous with the mesosoma and node.

Distribution
Mallee areas of central southern Australia. (McArthur and Adams 1996)

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 *  clarior. Camponotus nigriceps var. clarior Forel, 1902h: 506 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 103. Junior synonym of pallidiceps: Wheeler, W.M. 1933b: 23. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of nigriceps: Clark, 1934c: 71; Taylor & Brown, D.R. 1985: 117. Raised to species: McArthur & Adams, 1996: 20.

Description
HW = 1.70-3.30 mm; TL = 2.70-3.50 mm; n = 20. TL = 2.3 + 2.03 log HW (n = 20, r = 0·90, s.e.y. = 0.16, s.e.x = 0·08). PD:D = 1.5 in major workers increasing to 3.0 in minor workers. Length 6.5 to 12 mm Entirely yellowish reddish testaceous, with head and gaster of a yellow which is a little more brownish in the case of the major worker.

McArthur and Adams (1996) - Colour: honey colour with mandibles darker, legs lighter, posterior segments of gaster sometimes shghtly darker. Pilosity: to 0·3 mm long plentiful on gula and sides of head, pronotum, mesonotum and present on propodeum (Fig. 13a, b), plentiful on gaster pointing backwards, short setae on scapcs ra1scd 30-40°, short setae on midtibiae 30-40°. Pubescence: a coat of curved raised setae about 0.1 mm long, spaced < length, is visible on the dorsum of mesosoma. Integument finely reticulate, glossy. Node summit viewed from rear: flatly convex, occasionally flat. Metanotum usually distinct in major workers.

Type Material
Bendigo Victoria (Froggatt)

McArthur and Adams (1996) - Drawer 164, labelled 'typus', 1 major and 2 minor workers. Major worker: HW = 2.95 mm, HL = 3.2 mm, PW = 2.15 mm, HT = 2.1 mm, TL = 3.2 mm. Minor worker: HW = 2.1 mm, HL=2.75 mm, PW= 1.7 mm, HT= 1.6 mm, TL=2.75 mm. From Bendigo, Victoria.



Etymology
McArthur and Adams (1996) - Clarus (Latin: bright or shining), referring to its light overall colour.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Gunawardene N.R. and J.D. Majer. 2004. Ants of the southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia: an investigation into patterns of association. Records of the Western Australian Museum 22: 219-239.
 * Heterick B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1-206.
 * McArthur A. 2010. A guide to Camponotus ants of South Australia. Adelaide: South Australian Museum, IV + 121 pp.
 * McArthur A. J., and M. Adams. 1996. A morphological and molecular revision of the Camponotus nigriceps group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Australia. Invertebr. Taxon. 10: 1-46.