Camponotus wiederkehri

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 *  wiederkehri. Camponotus weiderkehri Forel, 1894e: 232 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in C. (Myrmosphincta): Forel, 1912i: 92; in C. (Myrmophyma): Forel, 1914a: 269; in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 102. Senior synonym of denticulatus, latrunculus, lucidior: Shattuck & McArthur, 2002: 85.
 * denticulatus. Camponotus denticulatus Kirby, W.F. 1896: 204 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Clark, 1930c: 19. Junior synonym of wiederkehri: Shattuck & McArthur, 2003: 85.
 * lucidior. Camponotus wiederkehri var. lucidior Forel, 1910b: 81 (s.w.m.) AUSTRALIA. Crawley, 1915a: 136 (q.). Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 102. See also: Forel, 1915b: 100. Junior synonym of wiederkehri: Shatuck & McArthur, 2002: 85.
 * latrunculus. Camponotus (Myrmoturba) latrunculus Wheeler, W.M. 1915g: 814, pl. 66, figs. 3, 4 (s.) AUSTRALIA. Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 102. Junior synonym of wiederkehri: Shattuck & McArthur, 2002: 85.

Description
Worker major. Length 10.5-12 mm. Mandibles slightly convex, armed with 6 or 7 teeth, sub glossy, very finely shagreen, with sparse points and a few striations at the front. Clypeus sub keeled, a medial trapezoidal lobe at the front. Eyes flat. Frontal ridges sinuous hardly diverging at all. Head very large, strongly convex, excavated behind, wider than long (without mandibles). Thorax weakly but distinctly indented between the intermediate segment and the metanotum (scarcely like this in C foreli Emery) Sutures distinct. Intermediate segment a little wider than long. Metanotum (= propodeum) strongly rounded; its two faces of the same length. Node high, very sharp, almost accuminate at the summit. Gaster short and wide. Overall this insect is thick set and stocky. The scapes exceed the occiput. Tibias are sub cylindrical (sub depressed), with a range of little spines quite sparse. Front of the head is sub opaque, densely reticulate. Rest of the body is quite glossy, more weakly shagreen, with sparse fine punctation, faded on the thorax, stronger on the front of the head. A fine yellowish pubescence, quite abundant, forms a duvet over the whole body, limbs and antennae but not on the occiput. Yellowish erect pilosity, very sparse, none on tibias and scapes. Of a red a little dull or brownish, gaster and teeth of the mandibles black, femurs and gastric segments yellowish. Worker minor. Length 6.5 to 7.5 mm. Much like the worker major but rather slender. Head rectangular, a little longer than wide, posterior border straight. Eyes strongly convex, situated towards the posterior 1/4 of the head. The scapes exceed the occiput by more than 1/2 their length. Thorax narrow, elongated, very weakly convex, with a wide feeble indentation, sometimes scarcely visible between the mesonotum and metanotum. The latter is elongated, slightly narrowing, with the declivity very short. Node very thick, rounded at the summit, slightly inclined at the front. Sculpture of the front of the head like the rest. Occiput is pubescent like the rest of the body. Of a dull brownish red, limbs, vertex, dorsum of thorax especially the pedicel more or less brownish. Mandibles reddish or brownish yellow. Punctation sparse and faded everywhere. Otherwise like the worker major but a little more pubescent. Charters Towers Queensland. (M Wiederkehr) Close relative of cinereus and suffusus.

Camponotus weiderkehri lucidor Forel,A. (1910). Worker. Length 7.5 to 14 mm. Much larger than the species type.

Worker major. Differs from the species type by the glossy body, the feeble sculpture, the lobe of the clypeus is sub bidentate, mandibles much longer, armed with 6 or 7 teeth.