Camponotus pulcher

This species is distributed along the rainforest and montane rainforest habitats of the north and northeast as well as the central east of Madagascar. In the Réserve Spéciale Manongarivo, where both forest habitats are found, the members of C. pulcher have been known to nest in rotting tree stumps and forage in leaf litter and on low vegetation. In the rainforests of the Parc National Masoala and the montane rainforest of Torotorofotsy, colonies have been collected from rotten logs.

Identification
A member of the subgenus Mayria (see diagnosis). Rakotonirina and Fisher (2018) - Median longitudinal carina of clypeus lacking; anteromedian margin of clypeus slightly concave medially; mandible with six teeth; in lateral view, mesosoma short and high, propodeal dorsum straight, not excised medially; petiolar node as long as high.

Camponotus pulcher is similar to Camponotus dromedarius and Camponotus lamosy. See discussion sections under C. dromedarius and C. lamosy where the comparisons of these species are provided.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar.

Nomenclature

 *  pulcher. Camponotus dromedarius var. pulcher Forel, 1892l: 234 (w.) MADAGASCAR.
 * Combination in C. (Mayria): Emery, 1925b: 122.
 * Subspecies of dromedarius: Dalla Torre, 1893: 229; Emery, 1895f: 344; Emery, 1896d: 374 (in list); Forel, 1904b: 377; Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 1045; Emery, 1925b: 122; Bolton, 1995b: 119.
 * Status as species: Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2018: 46.

Worker
Rakotonirina and Fisher (2018) - Minor. In full-face view, head longer than broad (CWb/CL: 0.84±0.05; 0.81–0.94), lateral margin straight anterior to the eye and convex posteriorly; posterior margin slightly excised medially. Clypeus with feebly concave anteromedian margin and broadly angulate lateral margin. Eyes not breaking lateral outlines of head, their posterior margins located well behind the mid-length of the head (PoOc/CL: 0.33±0.01; 0.31–0.35). Mandible triangular, apical margin with six sharp teeth. Antennal scape long, roughly its distal half surpassing posterior margin of head. With mesosoma in lateral view, dorsal outline forming an even continuous convexity, joining declivity in a broad angle; propodeal declivity straight and inclined posteriorly. Petiolar node as high as long.

Dorsum of head, mesosoma, and gastral segments with scattered, erect, slender hairs and sparse pubescence. Head black, mesosoma and petiole orange and black spot sometimes present along metanotal suture; gastral segments generally orange, posterior portion of second gastral tergite and remainder of sternite and tergite patchily or entirely dark brown to black; scape and other appendages generally yellow to light orange, flagellum and junction of femur and tibia and proximal portion of basitarsus brown to dark brown.

Major. With characteristics of minor worker, except for the typically broader head, much higher petiolar node, and more dark brown to black spots on dorsum of mesosoma and gastral segments.

Type Material
Two syntype specimens were designated by Forel to represent C. pulcher in his original description, but after careful observations, only one specimen, which is presently designated as a lectotype of the species, matches this description. The second specimen, with AntWeb CASENT0101532, has been removed from C. pulcher and is currently placed in Camponotus foersteri in the present revision.



References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Fisher B. L. 1997. Biogeography and ecology of the ant fauna of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History 31: 269-302.
 * Fisher B. L. 2003. Formicidae, ants. Pp. 811-819 in: Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.) 2003. The natural history of Madagascar. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, xxi + 1709 pp.
 * Wheeler W. M. 1922. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. IX. A synonymic list of the ants of the Malagasy region. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 45: 1005-1055