Camponotus insipidus

Wheeler (1934) Rottnest Island: "Workers and dealated females from several colonies nesting under stones in the following localities: Government House (X.21.'31), Lady Edeline Beach (X.23.'31), Longreach Bay (X.24.'31) (Wheeler) and City of York Bay (Grauert).

Identification
Heterick (2009) - Camponotus scratius and Camponotus minimus are both common, and, being very similar in appearance, are easily confused. Both major and minor workers, however, can be distinguished by the presence (C. scratius) or absence (C. minimus) of setae on the venter of the head capsule.

Minor workers of C. minimus vary considerably in appearance from tiny, yellowish forms from the Kwongan sand-plain north of Perth, to rather more robust brown ants in southern districts. Some workers from the goldfields have an orange mesosoma, contrasting with a dark head, petiolar node and gaster.

McArthur (2009) – Camponotus minimus lacks erect setae on the underside of the head, has wide frontal carinae with FCW > HW / 3 and is polymorphic, whereas Camponotus claripes has plentiful erect setae on the underside of the head, has narrower frontal carinae with FCW < HW / 3 and is dismorphic.

Distribution
A wide range in coastal WA, Camponotus minimus and rarely found more than a few kilometres from the coast. However, it is also found in inland sand-plain country, east of Kalgoorlie.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus insipidus Forel, 1893d: 454 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia: East Wallaby Is).
 * Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1974a: 61 (l.).
 * Combination in C. (Myrmophyma): Forel, 1914a: 269; Santschi, 1928e: 482.
 * Status as species: Emery, 1896d: 374 (in list); Emery, 1925b: 111; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 115; Taylor, 1987a: 13; Bolton, 1995b: 105; McArthur, 2014: 64.
 * minima. Camponotus (Myrmophyma) claripes r. minima Crawley, 1922c: 31 (s.w.q.m.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
 * Combination in C. (Thlipsepinotus): Santschi, 1928e: 483.
 * Subspecies of claripes: Emery, 1925b: 110; Santschi, 1928e: 483; Wheeler, W.M. 1934d: 160; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 112; Taylor, 1987a: 11; Bolton, 1995b: 111; McArthur, 2007a: 342; Heterick, 2009: 69; McArthur, 2010: 64.
 * Status as species: McArthur, 2009: 279 (redescription); McArthur, 2014: 56.
 * Junior synonym of insipidus: Heterick, 2021: 17.

Description
Worker Major or media. Length 8 mm Mandibles short, obtuse, armed with 6 teeth, finely coriaceous, sub opaque, punctate. Clypeus subkeeled, convex, sublobed. Head strongly widened behind, a little wider than long. Thorax quite like C. marginatus but the back is slightly convex; the declivity face of the metanotum (= propodeum) is high, subvertical, forming with the basal face a rounded angle. Basal face scarcely half as long as the declivity. The node almost square, sharp, the superior border weakly indented. 3 or 4 little barbs on the tibias.

Very glossy; very feebly shagreen. Punctation is superimposed much more finely and weakly than C. walkeri, a little stronger on the front of the head than elsewhere.

Pilosity, pubescence and color as with the preceding specimen [walkeri?] but the limbs and scapes are darker and the and the front of the head except for the articulations of the antennae is reddish. East Wallaby Island Western Australia. M. JJ Walker

This specimen, a close relative of the preceding walkeri? is smaller and more glossy, its form is not well determined. However the form of the thorax, clypeus, wider head, and the node prevent me from making it a simple race.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Heterick B. E., M. Lythe, and C; Smithyman. 2012. Urbanisation factors impacting on ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) biodiversity in the Perth metropolitan area, Western Australia: Two case studies. Urban Ecosyst. DOI 10.1007/s11252-012-0257-2
 * McArthur A. J. 2009. New species, new status and new synonymy for Camponotus from Australia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 273-286.
 * Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.