Camponotus herculeanus

Identification
Bicoloured with alitrunk dull red to reddish black, head and gaster dull black. Frons has deep close set punctures. Long pubescence on dorsum of first gaster tergite overlapping posterior border. Length: 5-12 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Distribution
Throughout mountain Europe and extending through Northern Eurasia from Norway to Eastern Siberia to the northernmost tree frontier in Arctic Norway (Collingwood 1979). Also northern North America.

This taxon was described from Europe.

Europe
Collingwood (1979) - This species is a typical denizen of shaded coniferous forest nesting in rotten stumps and occasionally mining in living trees. Fertilised females found nests singly. Alatae are developed in the late summer but overwinter to swarm in June.

Nomenclature

 *  herculeanus. Formica herculeana Linnaeus, 1758: 579 (q.) EUROPE. Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835: 209 (w.q.m.); Mayr, 1855: 308 (w.q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1953e: 185 (l.). Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1861: 36; in C. (Camponotus): Forel, 1914a: 259. Senior synonym of atra, intermedia: Nylander, 1846a: 894; of castanea: Mayr, 1863: 399; of whymperi: Creighton, 1950a: 367; of nadigi: Yasumatsu & Brown, 1951: 30; of montanus, shitkowi: Emery, 1925b: 72; Karavaiev, 1936: 178; Arnol'di, 1967: 1819; of caucasicus: Arakelian, 1994: 85; of eudokiae: Radchenko, 1997a: 555. See also: Tarbinsky, 1976: 148; Kutter, 1977c: 204; Collingwood, 1979: 90; Smith, D.R. 1979: 1426; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 210.
 * castanea. Formica castanea Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835: 215 (w.q.m.) U.S.A. [Unresolved junior primary homonym of castanea Latreille, above.] Junior synonym of herculeanus: Mayr, 1863: 399.
 * atra. Formica atra Zetterstedt, 1838: 450 (m.) SWEDEN. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Nylander, 1846a: 894.
 * intermedia. Formica intermedia Zetterstedt, 1838: 448 (w.) SWEDEN. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Nylander, 1846a: 894.
 * whymperi. Camponotus herculeanus var. whymperi Forel, 1902i: 699 (w.q.) CANADA. Wheeler, W.M. 1910d: 330 (s.m.). Raised to species: Ruzsky, 1926: 108. Subspecies of herculeanus: Ruzsky, 1936: 90. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Creighton, 1950a: 367.
 * montanus. Camponotus herculeanus var. montanus Ruzsky, 1904a: 293 (w.) RUSSIA. Karavaiev, 1926e: 192 (s.w.q.). [Unresolved junior primary homonym of montanus Emery, above.] Subspecies of herculeanus: Ruzsky, 1926: 108. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Emery, 1925b: 72; Karavaiev, 1936: 178.
 * shitkowi. Camponotus herculeanus var. shitkowi Ruzsky, 1904a: 292 (w.q.) RUSSIA. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Emery, 1925b: 72; Karavaiev, 1936: 178; Arnol'di, 1967: 1819.
 * nadigi. Camponotus herculeanus var. nadigi Menozzi, 1922c: 142 (s.w.q.m.) ITALY. Material of the nomen nudum vagusherculeanus referred here by Emery, 1925b: 72; Kutter, 1977c: 205. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Yasumatsu & Brown, 1951: 30; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 176.
 * eudokiae. Camponotus herculeanus var. eudokiae Ruzsky, 1926: 108 (w.) RUSSIA. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Radchenko, 1997a: 555.
 * caucasicus. Camponotus herculeanus subsp. caucasicus Arnol'di, 1967: 1822 (s.w.q.m.) CAUCASUS. Junior synonym of herculeanus: Arakelian, 1994: 85.