Camponotus rebeccae

Essentially nothing as been published concerning the biology and ecology of this species. Pashaei Rad et al. (2018) found this species in Iran on the ground in a moderate to low rainfall area.

Identification
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - According to Radchenko (1997c), C. rebeccae belongs to the Camponotus gestroi species complex in the Camponotus lateralis species group, together with Camponotus gestroi, Camponotus kurdistanicus, and Camponotus vogti. C. rebeccae differs from the three other species by the petiolar scale with anterior surface strongly convex dorsally (as in Camponotus dalmaticus and Camponotus lateralis), as opposed to being slightly convex and meeting the posterior surface at an acute angle, and by the scale distinctly narrower: in major workers with HW > 1.5 mm the ratio of petiolar scale width to head width ranges 0.30–0.35 (n = 20) in C. rebeccae, as opposed to 0.40–0.44 (n = 20) in C. gestroi and 0.39–0.42 (n = 5) in C. kurdistanicus and C. vogti.

Almost entirely black specimens of three nest series from the central coastal plain (Israel) are provisionally considered as belonging to C. rebeccae because they are morphologically similar to the paler specimens of this species, and because Cagniant (1996) recorded similar variability in Morocco, with dark colored “littoral populations” of the usually bicolorous (red and black) C. lateralis. However, the dark specimens fit the description of C. lateralis ebneri Finzi in Ebner (1930) and key out to this species in Tohmé (1969a). Comparison with types may clarify their affinities.

Seifert, 2019: See key. Within the species having significant reddish pigmentation components on vertex, C. rebeccae is well characterized by the closely spaced ripples on dorsum of 1st gaster tergite (RipD 7.99 ± 0.50 μm) and the rather long dorsal propodeal plane. Minor workers are depicted in AntWeb.org under CASENT0911697 and CASENT0914423 and a major worker under CASENT0911696. The typical coloration is head, mesosoma and petiole medium to dark reddish brown and gaster blackish.

Distribution
Endemic to the Near East.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic.

Nomenclature

 *  rebeccae. Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) lateralis var. rebeccae Forel, 1913d: 436 (s.) SYRIA. Menozzi, 1933b: 81 (q.m.). Combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925a: 69; Emery, 1925b: 120. Raised to species: Radchenko, 1996b: 1197 (in key); Radchenko, 1997b: 707.
 * cypridis. Camponotus (Myrmentoma) lateralis var. cypridis Santschi, 1939c: 6 (s.w.q.m.) CYPRUS.
 * Junior synonym of rebeccae: Seifert, 2019: 21.

Type Material
Seifert, 2019: Investigated was a type worker of Camponotus rebeccae from with missing gaster, labeled ‘Typus’, ‘Damascus’, ‘U.Sahlb.’, ‘Camponotus (Orthonotomyrmex) lateralis Ol. v. Rebeccae type For.’, ‘CASENT0910432’.

Seifert, 2019: Investigated were four syntype workers of Camponotus lateralis cypridis from Cyprus labeled ‘Camponotus (Myrmentoma) lateralis Ol. v. cypridis Sants’, ‘Chypre 20.7.31 Yermasogia Riv. Movromostakis.’ and ‘Type’,.

Taxonomic Notes
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - Until more material is collected, one media worker (TL = 5.6 mm, HW = 1.21 mm) with very high propodeal dorsum exceeding the highest point of mesonotum is here considered as an extreme variation. In addition, it has the first gastral segment testaceous (whereas the following segments are black).

Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - C. rebeccae is similar to C. lateralis, from which it differs only in the convex propodeal dorsum, as opposed to the concave or posteriorly flat propodeal dorsum, and by a shallow metanotal groove, as opposed to a deep metanotal groove in C. lateralis.

Seifert, 2019 - Running the type specimen of Camponotus rebeccae as wild-card in a 5-class LDA considering all RAV-corrected characters except RipD (because of missing gaster), it is allocated with p = 0.9965 to the cluster of 36 ants given in Tab. 2. The posterior probabilities of the type specimen of belonging to other species were: p = 0.0035 for C. lateralis morph 1 and each p = 0.0000 for C. lateralis morph 2, Camponotus anatolicus and Camponotus honaziensis (for sample size see Tab. 2).

Seifert, 2019 - Considering all NUMOBAT characters and running the syntypes of Camponotus lateralis cypridis as wild-cards in a LDA considering the five entities presented in Tab. 2, they all were allocated to the C. rebeccae cluster with p = 1.000.

Worker
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - TL = 4.0–7.7, HL = 0.98–1.76, HW = 0.82–1.88, EL = 0.24–0.39, SL = 1.07–1.45, ML = 1.41–2.34, PW = 0.70–1.25, mTbL = 0.73–1.09, hTbL = 1.00–1.52 (n = 20).