Colobopsis anderseni

This species is rare and known from only a small number of specimens. It has been found nesting in the mangrove Sonneratia alba J. Smith in the Northern Territory and Kimberley region of Western Australia. At high tide the nests are submerged and during these times major workers use their heads to block nest entrances (A. N. Andersen, pers. comm. 2000).

Identification
A member of the Camponotus macrocephalus species-group. This group has the following characters:


 * Fore femurs swollen, much greater in diameter than middle and hind femurs, generally more swollen than in most other Camponotus species.
 * Spines or bristles on the lower surfaces of the tibiae lacking, or at most, only one or two (most Camponotus species possess two rows of 5 to 10 spines).
 * Major workers and queens with the anterior of the head is truncated and flattened (phragmotic).
 * Major and minor workers present, but not intermediate-sized workers (worker caste dimorphic).

Within this group, this species can be diangosed as follows:

Mesosoma glossy with only a few erect setae and very sparse indistinct flat-lying setae, tibiae with slightly raised setae; eyes large, elongated, placed closer to mandibles than vertex.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 *  anderseni. Camponotus anderseni McArthur & Shattuck, 2001: 28, figs. 3, 4 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA.

Major worker
In lateral view. Head: Yellowish brown, grading darker posteriorly, side with plentiful small punctations spaced just greater than their diameter. Plentiful, short, erect setae tending sparse on the side, with sparse flat-lying setae; antennae same color as anterior head, vertex with a few short, thick setae, underside of head without erect setae, eye large, much longer than wide, closer to mandibles than vertex. Pronotum: Light red brown, similar to anterior head, flatly convex with distinct prosternal structure, dorsum without setae or pubescence. Mesonotum: Light red brown slightly darker than head, mostly straight, dorsum without setae. Metanotum: Distinct, narrow, spiracle scarcely protruding. Propodeum: Light red brown, slightly darker than rest of mesosoma, dorsum and declivity mostly straight separated by widely rounded right angle, glossy, without pubescence; declivity short, straight, upright; spiracle situated four or five diameters anterior to declivity. Node and gaster: Brown, darker than mesosoma. Node: Without pubescence, anterior face convex, summit rounded, posterior face mostly straight. Gaster: Glossy. Fore femur: Brown grossly swollen. Mid tibia: Without pubescence, with few adpressed short setae outside, without bristles inside. In dorsal view. Head: Sides, parallel mostly straight; vertex and angles forming even convexity; scapc without pilosity, thickened towards funiculus. Frontal carinae straight, diverging to wider than half HW; frontal area diamond shaped, anterior margin distinct, max HW at eye centre. Clypeus, frontal lobes and most of frontal area sunken. Clypeus: Anterior margin projecting, convex, integument finely shallowly punctate with plentiful very short, erect setae, without pubescence, without carina. In front or rear view. Node summit: Straight, wide, with few long setae. In top view. Node: Posterior surface flat, anterior convex.

Minor worker
In lateral view. Mesosoma, node, gaster and posterior head similar reddish brown, anterior head lighter. Head: Side with few small indistinct punctations, sparse, short, flat-lying setae; underside of head without long setae; scape and funiculus same color as anterior head; vertex with one or two short thick setae; eye nearly twice as long as wide, closer to mandibles than vertex. Pronotum: Anterior and posterior halves flat, separated by widely rounded angle, without setae. Mesonotum: Flatly convex, dorsum with one or two very short erect setae. Metanotum: Transverse, narrow; spiracle prominent, well below dorsum. Propodeum: Glossy, dorsum and declivity form even convexity, dorsum with few very short adpressed setae, ratio dorsum/declivity approximately 1; spiracle surrounded by glossy integument, without pubescence, situated four or five diameters anterior to declivity. Node: Without pubescence, anterior face mostly straight; summit rounded; posterior face mostly straight. Gaster: Glossy. Fore coxa: Light red brown, slightly darker above. Fore femur: Red brown, same color as mesosoma, grossly swollen. Fore tibia and Fore tarsus: Red brown same as mesosoma. Mid tibia: With few decumbent and adpressed short setae, without bristles inside. In dorsal view. Head: Sides and vertex evenly rounded; scape without pilosity, thickened towards funiculus; frontal carinae straight, diverging to wider than half HW; frontal area diamond shaped with distinct anterior margin; max. HW at eye centre. Clypeus: Finely and sparsely punctate, without pubescence, few setae around margin, without carina; anterior margin projecting, convex, wide. In front or rear view. Node summit: Widely rounded with a few setae.

Measurements
HW 0.80-1.20 mm, HL 0.90-1.30 mm, PW 0.60- 0.90 mm, HT 0.60-0.95 mm, EL 0.32-0.35 mm, CARW 0.45-0.95 mm, CLYW 0.45 mm, TL 0.65- 0.75 mm.

Etymology
Named after A. N. Andersen who recognised the uniqueness of this ant.