Camponotus sexguttatus

This widespread species is quite variable in color, head sculpture and mesosomal structure.

Identification
Majors and minors of this species can be recognized by the deeply depressed metanotal suture. The scapes of the majors, minors, and females have numerous erect hairs. The minor usually has erect hairs on the posterior margin, along the sides of the head, on the cheeks, and on the clypeus. The major and female usually have erect hairs only on the posterior margin, vertex, between the frontal carinae, and usually lack hairs on the sides of the head, on the cheeks, and on the clypeus. The workers and females range in color or from completely black, to brown, to bicolored (head and mesosoma red, gaster black). The gaster usually has lateral yellow splotches on each gastral tergite.

Distribution
Native range from Argentina to Nicaragua, plus the Caribbean. It has also become established in Florida and Hawaii.

This taxon was described from Antilles. It is also found in Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Suriname, Paraguay, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, United States, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia and Barbados.

Florida
Camponotus sexguttatus has been collected a number of times in Florida but is apparently a recent arrival. The earliest collection records are from 1993. Nests were found in saw grass stems at the edge of marshy areas (Deyrup et al. 2000). A nest was also discovered in an exotic acacia species in Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom (Wetterer and Wetterer 2003).

Nomenclature

 *  sexguttatus. Formica sexguttata Fabricius, 1793: 354 (q.) ANTILLES. Forel, 1879a: 71 (s.w.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953e: 195 (l.). Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1862: 656; in C. (Myrmosphincta): Forel, 1912i: 92; in C. (Myrmothrix): Bruch, 1914: 230; in C. (Myrmotemnus): Emery, 1920b: 259; in C. (Myrmosphincta): Emery, 1925b: 151. Subspecies of sylvaticus: Mayr, 1880: 23. Revived status as species: Forel, 1885a: 346; Forel, 1895b: 104; Emery, 1896d: 375. Senior synonym of ruficeps (and its junior synonym albofasciata): Emery, 1894f: 2; Emery, 1896d: 375; of bimaculata: Emery, 1925b: 152; Kempf, 1972a: 58; of fusciceps: Wild, 2007b: 48. Current subspecies: nominal plus albotaeniolatus, antiguanus, basirectus, biguttatus, decorus, montserratensis, ornatus, perturbans, unitaeniatus.
 * ruficeps. Formica ruficeps Fabricius, 1804: 404 (s.) SOUTH AMERICA. Combination in Camponotus: Roger, 1862c: 285. Senior synonym of albofasciata: Mayr, 1886c: 362. Junior synonym of sexguttatus: Emery, 1894f: 2; Emery, 1896d: 375.
 * bimaculata. Formica bimaculata Smith, F. 1858b: 50 (w.) ANTILLES. Junior synonym of ruficeps: Roger, 1862c: 285. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of sexguttatus: Forel, 1907a: 34; Forel, 1912i: 87. Junior synonym of sexguttatus: Emery, 1925b: 152; Kempf, 1972a: 58.
 * albofasciata. Formica albofasciata Smith, F. 1862b: 29 (w.) PANAMA. Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1886c: 362. Junior synonym of ruficeps: Mayr, 1886c: 362.
 * fusciceps. Camponotus sexguttatus var. fusciceps Emery, 1906c: 192 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Combination in C. (Myrmosphincta): Wheeler, W.M. 1916c: 14. Junior synonym of sexguttatus: Wild, 2007b: 48.

Additional References

 * Deyrup, M., L. Davis, and S. Cover. 2000. Exotic ants in Florida. 126:293-326.


 * Wetterer, J. K., and A. L. Wetterer. 2003. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on non-native neotropical ant-acacias (Fabales: Fabaceae) in Florida. 86:460-463.