Camponotus whitei

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus (Myrmosphincta) whitei Wheeler, W.M. 1915g: 818, pl. 66, fig. 8 (w.) AUSTRALIA (South Australia).
 * Combination in C. (Myrmosaulus): Emery, 1925b: 114.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1925b: 114; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 121; Taylor, 1987a: 15; Bolton, 1995b: 130; McArthur, 2007a: 317; Heterick, 2009: 64; McArthur, 2010: 58; McArthur, 2014: 176.
 * Senior synonym of scutellus: Brown, 1956a: 40; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 121; Taylor, 1987a: 16; Bolton, 1995b: 130; McArthur, 2007a: 295; McArthur, 2010: 58.
 * scutellus. Camponotus scutellus Clark, 1930a: 123, fig. 1 (nos. 9,10) (s.w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
 * Junior synonym of whitei: Brown, 1956a: 40; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 121; Taylor, 1987a: 16; Bolton, 1995b: 123; McArthur, 2007a: 295; McArthur, 2010: 58.

Description
Worker (minor [?]).- Length, 4.5-5 mm. Head trapezoidal, deepest in the frontal region, a little longer than broad, slightly broader behind than in front, with straight sides and feebly concave posterior border. Eyes moderately large, very convex, nearly circular, distinctly behind the median transverse diameter of the head. Mandibles with slightly convex external borders and oblique, 6-toothed apices. Clypeus strongly carinate, rather convex, with entire anterior border, subangularly produced in the middle. Frontal area rather large, triangular; frontal groove lacking; frontal carinae approximated in front, curved outward in the middle, and again approximated behind. Antennae rather long and stout; scapes surpassing the posterior border of the head by fully two-fifths their length. Thorax rather long, nearly as broad as the head through the pronotum, which is flattened above, bluntly marginate anteriorly, and seen from above a little broader than long. Promesonotal suture pronounced. There is a deep, saddle-like impression in the region of the mesonotal suture, which is obsolete, and the thorax is also laterally compressed in this region. The epinotum is very convex and rounded, and resembles somewhat that of a Dolichoderus, but in profile the base passes without an angle into the vertical, slightly concave declivity of about the same length. Petiole nodiform, seen from above regularly, transversely elliptical, and about twice as broad as long, in profile less than twice as high as long, the node with three surfaces, a short vertical anterior, a horizontal rounded dorsal and a vertical posterior surface. Gaster rather small, broadly elliptical. Tibiae cylindrical. Mandibles shining, very coarsely punctate. Remainder of body, including the appendages, opaque; head, thorax, and petiole densely and beautifully coarsely punctate, the punctures being somewhat smaller on the upper-surface of the head and somewhat larger on the mesopleurae. Gaster and legs very minutely and densely punctate. Hairs whitish, erect, blunt, but not very stiff, rather long but not abundant, most conspicuous on the front, epinotum, and first gastric segments. Legs and scapes with more numerous, more pointed, shorter and suberect hairs. Deep castaneous-red mandibles and legs paler, upper-surface of head and thorax somewhat darker, gaster black, with narrow, sordid, yellowish margins to the segments. This beautiful species, described from two specimens, was taken at Flat Rock Hole in the Musgrave Ranges. I have placed it in the subgenus Myrmosphincta with many misgivings. It would seem to belong more properly in Orthonotomyrmex, near mayri, Forel, on account of the peculiar structure of the thorax and petiole, but this subgenus, though confined to the Old World, is not known to be represented in Papua or Australia.

Camponotus (Myrmosaulus) scutellus Clark,J.(1930)

Worker major Length 9.5-11.3 mm

Brown. Dorsum of pronotum darkish brown. Gaster black.Opaque. Mandibles coarsely striate punctate. Head, thorax and node reticulate punctate. Gaster microscopically reticulate. Hair reddish, erect, very long and abundant on the thorax and gaster, shorter on the head and legs. Pubescence yellow, very short and sparse throughout. Head as long as broad, broadest just in front of the eyes, the occipital border concave, the posterior angles rounded. Frontal carinae diverging strongly behind, with a longitudinal groove between them. Clypeus broad and convex, without a carina, the anterior border produced, concave in the middle with a deep depression at each side near the middle. Eyes large, flat, placed at the posterior third of the sides. Scapes just reach the occipital border; the first segment of the funiculus as long as the second, the others subequal to the apical. Mandibles large, triangular, armed with six large sharp teeth. Thorax one and a half times longer than broad. Pronotum fully twice broad as long, strongly convex in front and on the sides, subbordered. Mesonotum one third broader than long, convex above. There is a strong constriction between the mesonotum and the epinotum, the latter as broad as long, the posterior border straight; in profile much lower than the mesonotum, the dorsum straight, the posterior half submarginate, the declivity vertical, feebly concave near the bottom, larger than the dorsum, submarginate on the sides and above. Node scale like, almost four times broader than long, the anterior face feebly concave, posterior face and sides convex, dorsum sharply pointed, convex laterally; in profile somewhat wedge shaped. Gaster much longer than broad. Legs short and robust. Worker minor. Length 5-6 mm

Color as in major. Sculpture coarser, stronger and more densely punctate. Pilosity similar but not so abundant. Head as long as broad, broadest just in front of the eyes, the occipital border concave, the sides convex. Clypeus carinate. There is a distinct carina between the frontal carinae. Eyes large, globular. Scapes extent the occipital border by barely half their length. Thorax twice as long as broad. The pronotum not so distinctly subbordered. The constriction between the mesonotum and epinotum strong but not so sharply defined. Epinotum more convex laterally, the posterior border not clearly defined; in profile the declivity vertical, rounded into the dorsum. Node thick, twice as broad as long, the anterior border straight, or feebly concave, the sides, posterior border and dorsum convex; in profile twice as high as long, parallel, the dorsum convex. Legs robust. The rest as in the major worker. Habitat: Western Australia; Tammin (J>Clark); Emu Rocks (H Reynolds); Bungulla (T Greaves); Meredin (L JL Newman).

From the description this species is near C.(M) whitei Wheeler from Central Australia.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Heterick B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1-206.