Camponotus micragyne

This species belongs to the Camponotus subgenus/species-group Karavaievia of southeast Asia. Camponotus micragyne are, like most Karavaievia species, weaver ants that build their nests with silk. General details of this group's biology can be found on the Karavaievia page.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Malaysia.

Biology
Dumpert et al. (2006) - In North Sumatra (Ketambe, G. Leuser National Park) we found a huge colony (> 100 pavilions) of C. micragyne which shared some of its pavilions with a Monomorium species. Beside “typical” Karavaievia nest pavilions located under leaves and made with the help of larval silk, the colony occupied partly the nest pavilions of the Monomorium species. Altogether we found three types of nest pavilions in this Karavaievia colony, in close proximity to one another, even on the same leaf:

(I) Wide, oval shaped nest pavilions (max. length: 10 cm, width: 5 cm, height: 1.5 cm), made mainly from larval silk riddled with relatively coarse wooden particles and inhabited only by C. micragyne.

(II) Narrow, tube shaped nests (max. length: 9 cm, width: 1.5 cm, height: 1.5 cm), built laterally on nerves of leaves, made from fine plant trichomes derived from the nest leaves, with only the inner surface of the nest walls covered (irregularly) with silk. Inhabited solely by C. micragyne (workers, alates, brood).

(III) Same architecture as type (II), however, colonized by C. micragyne workers with brood and alate females and additionally by the Monomorium species (queen, workers, brood). Though silk was used for covering the inner surfaces of walls, these nests were not divided into separate chambers. Both species were aggregated on opposed sides of the nest without any sign of aggressiveness. Only when nest inhabitants were heavily disturbed by us, did one observe aggressive behavior of Monomorium sp. against C. micragyne, which lasted, however, less than one minute.

Nomenclature

 *  micragyne. Camponotus (Karavaievia) micragyne Dumpert, in Dumpert, Maschwitz, et al. 1995: 99, figs. 5, 6 (w.q.m.) WEST MALAYSIA.