Camponotus sinaiticus

Nothing is known about the biology of .

Identification
Ionescu-Hirsch (2009) - C. sinaiticus is a large, dark species of the subgenus Tanaemyrmex, with accentuated ground sculpture and prismatic hind tibia with a row of bristles ventrally. It has the ventral head surface devoid of erect setae, similar to Camponotus tahatensis and Camponotus xerxes. It has habitus and color similar to dark specimens of Camponotus fellah (var. herodes), but differs from all these species by longer scape and legs relative to head width and length. All examined specimens of C. sinaiticus have SL/HW ≥ 1, but I measured SL/HW < 1 in specimens with HL < 4.0 mm among six syntypes of C. tahatensis from central Sahara, among ten specimens of C. xerxes, and among 60 dark specimens of C. fellah from southern Israel and Sinai. C. sinaiticus minor workers with HL ≤ 2.5 mm have SL/HW = 2.00–2.05, whereas similar minors of C. tahatensis (n = 1), C. xerxes (n = 3), and C. fellah (n = 12), have SL/HW = 1.45–1.97; the same minor workers have mTbL/HL = 1.24–1.25 in C. sinaiticus and mTbL/HL = 1.05–1.17 in the other species. C. sinaiticus differs from dark specimens of C. fellah by lacking erect setae on the ventral head surface, as opposed to 1–3 erect setae in C. fellah (var. herodes) . The major worker of C. sinaiticus differs from the major worker of C. tahatensis by the head margins laterally parallel or very slightly arched, as opposed to distinctly arched, and by the body uniformly black, as opposed to variable (dark body with yellowish-ochre coxa and petiole) in C. tahatensis. It differs from C. xerxes Forel by the slender build, the head distinctly narrower, especially in minor workers (at HL ≤ 2.5 mm, HW/HL = 0.66–0.71, as opposed to 0.76–0.80), the eye distinctly smaller at equal head length, and in the major workers by petiole black, as opposed to brown or dark red.

C. sinaiticus has a larger scape length than head width in all workers, similar to the North African Camponotus erigens, from which it differs by the lack of erect setae on ventral head surface, as opposed to very abundant (>10) such setae.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Egypt, Israel.

Nomenclature

 *  sinaiticus. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) sinaiticus Ionescu-Hirsch, 2010: 89, figs. 9, 44 (s.w.) EGYPT.

Worker
Head. Head of major worker narrow (HW/HL = 0.88–0.91, for HL > 3.8 mm, n = 8), with lateral margins parallel or very slightly arched, with “occipital lobes” moderately developed (Fig. 9); head of minor worker distinctly elongate (HW/HL = 0.66–0.71, for HL ≤ 2.5 mm, n = 4), with lateral margins parallel medially, convergent posteriorly, occiput straight; frons narrow, frontal area triangular; eye small (EL/HL = 0.20–0.23); clypeus projected forward, truncated, carinate; scape long (SL/HW = 1.00–2.05), surpasses occipital margin by about one-third of its length in major worker, by more than half of its length in minor worker.

Mesosoma. Dorsum in profile smoothly arched, propodeal dorsum straight, forming an obtuse angle with the declivity, at least twice as long as the latter; petiolar scale higher than wide, dorsally convex; legs long (mTbL/HL = 0.89–1.25), strongly compressed laterally, tibia prismatic with longitudinal ridge.

Sculpture. Body finely reticulate-punctate, matte, covered with scattered piligerous pits.

Pilosity. Erect setae sparse: at most, 6 on head dorsum, 4 on pronotum, 1 on mesonotum, 3 on propodeum, 4 on dorsal margin of petiolar scale; hindtibia ventrally with row of bristles; entire body with short, apressed, scattered pubescence.

Color. Major and media workers completely black to dark brown, dorsally infuscate, with antennal flagellum and coxa brown, and mandible distally red; minor worker with head and antennal scape black, gaster dark brown, mesosoma, flagellum, and leg pale brown.

TL = 9.1–15.2, HL = 1.99–4.14, HW = 1.45–3.75, EL = 0.59–0.86, SL = 2.77–3.98, ML = 3.63–5.78, PW = 1.21–2.34, mTbL = 2.54–3.95, hTbL = 3.67–5.35 (n = 18).

Type Material
Holotype worker, EGYPT [Sinai]: Wadi Kseb, 15.iii.1982, J. Kugler, (deposited in ); Paratypes: same collection data as holotype (6 workers). Additional paratypes: EGYPT: Sinai: Wadi el-Arbain, 10.iv.1974, L. Kinarty (1 worker); Wadi Thach, 14.iii.1982, J. Kugler (3 workers); Wadi Natzab, 24.iii.1969, J. Kugler (1 workers); Wadi Sebal, 26.ix.1974, L. Kinarty (1 worker); Wadi Tala, 8.iv.1973, D. Furth (1 worker).

Etymology
This species is named after the Sinai Desert, Egypt, its main known distribution area.