Camponotus vagus

This species is a common European species which can be found from southern Finland and Sweden to the north-western parts of North Africa, and from the Atlantic through the northern Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Caucasus, and northern Kazakhstan to the Altai Mountains (Czechowski et al. 2002). It inhabits mostly warm forests as well as dry pine forests, preferring open places and clearings. Nests are built mostly in dead trees and wood stumps. (Marko et al., 2009; Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007)

Identification
Collingwood (1979) - In this group of species the anterior border of the clypeus is entire, straight or feebly convex and does not extend beyond the mandibular insertions. The alitrunk in the worker caste is high and steep sided; in profile the dorsum is convex without a break, the dorsal face of the propodeum abruptly curving into the long almost vertical basal face. From above the pronotum is much wider than the rest of the alitrunk which narrows to half its width posteriorly. Mandibles are large: with five strong teeth which are often blunted and worn in the larger workers. The male has the mandibles slender with an apical tooth only.

Uniformly black with profuse body hairs. The sculpture is finely transverse and closely punctured, obscured by long thick pubescence. Length: 6-12 mm.

Distribution
A South European species abundant in the Mediterranean area, but recorded from Portugal to South Russia and the mountains of North Africa to Poland (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine.

Biology
C. vagus nests in dry rotten wood among roots under stones in dry sun exposed banks. It is an active aggressive species biting freely on disturbance. As with other species of this group it is both carnivorous and aphidicolous. According to Pisarski (1961) alatae have been recorded in July in Poland where it occurs very locally in the Centre and South.

They are a host for the phorid fly Microselia southwoodi in southern France.

Nomenclature

 *  vagus. Formica vaga Scopoli, 1763: 312 (w.) AUSTRIA. Latreille, 1802c: 96 (w.q.m.). Hauschteck, 1961: 221 (k.). Combination in Camponotus: Roger, 1863b: 1; in C. (Camponotus): Forel, 1914a: 266. [Misspelled as vagans: Emery, 1891b: 20.] Subspecies of herculeanus: Emery, 1896d: 372; Emery, 1908a: 185; Bondroit, 1910: 488. Revived status as species: Ruzsky, 1905b: 241; Forel, 1915d: 68; Emery, 1916b: 225; Emery, 1920b: 255; Finzi, 1924a: 14; Karavaiev, 1927c: 275; Finzi, 1930d: 317; Santschi, 1931a: 11; Stitz, 1939: 246. See also: Yasumatsu & Brown, 1951: 31; Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 551; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 214. Senior synonym of pubescens: Olivier, 1792: 492; Emery, 1891b: 20; Forel, 1892i: 306; of fuscoptera: Latreille, 1802c: 96; of kodorica: Radchenko, 1997a: 558. Current subspecies: nominal plus ifranensis.
 * pubescens. Formica pubescens Fabricius, 1775: 392 (w.) HUNGARY. Lepeletier, 1835: 211 (w.q.m.); Schenck, 1852: (q.m.). Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1861: 36. Subspecies of herculeanus: Forel, 1879a: 59. Status as species: André, 1874: 176; André, 1882a: 142; Nasonov, 1889: 12; Ruzsky, 1895: 8. Junior synonym of vagus: Olivier, 1792: 492; Forel, 1892i: 306; Emery, 1916b: 225; Emery, 1925b: 74; Bernard, 1967: 341; Kutter, 1977c: 205.
 * fuscoptera. Formica fuscoptera Geoffroy, in Fourcroy, 1785: 452 (q.) FRANCE. Junior synonym of vagus: Latreille, 1802c: 96.
 * kodorica. Camponotus vagus var. kodorica Forel, 1913a: 145 (w.) RUSSIA. Junior synonym of vagus: Radchenko, 1997a: 558.