Myrmopiromis

Furry Carpenter Ants

(See also Orthonotomyrmex, Myrmepinotus, Myrmotrema, and Myrmisolepis.)

Diagnosis. Emery (1925) - "Workers and queens - Large to medium species; caste dimorphism somewhat marked. Head of majors and queens wider than long, narrower anteriorly, widely truncated or sometimes slightly emarginate posteriorly; head of minors similar, but less broad. Cheeks without large punctae, as are characteristic of which are characteristic for Myrmotrema. Clypeus medially carinate, sometimes carina absent in majors; clypeus with short, truncated, or rounded anterior lobe. Mesosomal dorsum arched, continuous (fulvopilosus niveosetosus groups), or more-or-less strongly impressed anterior to propodeum (chrysurus and sclaris groups); pronotum sometimes with narrowly rounded (blunt) tooth at the shoulders (fulvopilosus, ellioti). Petiolar scale usually not thick, but thinned or sharp along margins. Cuticle matte, black or brown, most often lined with coarse, yellow, red, or white setae. Or with fine pubescence, forming gastral fur. Male. - Similar to Myrmepinotus. I know the males of C. fulvopilosus and C. darwini. The first has longer antennae, with scapes extending beyond posterior head margin by more than half their length; pedicel and flagellum as in Myrmepinotus.

Geographical distribution of species. - Southern and Eastern Africa, Madagascar, Mascarenes, and Seychelles."

(Translated and edited by B. E. Boudinot, 17 February 2017.)

Myrmopiromis is currently a subgenus of Camponotus.

Species groups of Myrmopiromis
Emery (1925) divided Myrmopiromis into three species groups, which he diagnosed as follows:

"Group I: fulvopilosus

Diagnosis. - Worker. - Slender, large in size; dorsum of mesosoma continuous, pronotum shouldered, tibiae compressed and with bristles on ventral margin.

Group II: niveosetosus

Diagnosis. - Worker. - Generally medium in size; body more-or-less squat; mesosomal dorsum continuous; pronotum rounded or shouldered; tibiae without bristles on ventral margin.

Rakotonirina et al. (2017) - The Camponotus niveosetosus species group is currently equivalent to the subgenus Myrmopiromis. Although we continue the practice of placing Camponotus taxa in their respective subgenera, this study does not address the support of subgenera as monophyletic lineages. Because initial results suggest many of the subgenera are not natural, we employ the species group nomenclature in the present study. See the Camponotus niveosetosus species group page for more information about this group.

Group III: chrysurus

Diagnosis. - Worker.- Medium in size; mesosomal dorsum impressed anterior to propodeum; propodeum rounded (Myrmopelta [part] and Myrmisolepis [part], sensu Santschi)."

Nomenclature

 *  MYRMOPIROMIS [subgenus of Camponotus]
 * Myrmopiromis Wheeler, W.M. 1921a: 17 [as subgenus of Camponotus]. Type-species: Formica fulvopilosa, by subsequent designation of Wheeler, W.M. 1922a: 707.