Camponotus oertzeni

In Greece, this is a common species, previously commonly confused with Camponotus aethiops. Camponotus oertzeni is known from all Greek provinces, and is more thermophilous than C. aethiops. Additionally, in contrast to C. aethiops, it is rarely observed in agricultural habitats. It prefers open habitats like pastures, roadsides, mountain meadows but was occasionally collected also in luminous deciduous and coniferous forests. Nests were located under large stones. (Borowiec & Salata, 2021)

Identification


Camponotus oertzeni is very similar to Camponotus aethiops. Both species are very variable in colour of body and appendices. In C. aethiops predominate populations with dark brown to almost black body and brown legs and antennae while in C. oertzeni predominate populations with brown body and reddish-yellow legs and antennae. In C. oertzeni often occur pale specimens with reddish-yellow head and mesosoma and yellowish legs, while in C. aethiops the palest specimens are at most pale brown. The best distinguishing character is setation of posterior margin of gastral tergites. In C. oertzeni setae of short apical transverse row are very short, never extending to the apical margin of the tergite, often reaching at most half length of apical marginal edge of the tergite while in C. aethiops setae of the short apical transverse row usually reach or even slightly exceed apical margin of the tergite.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Canary Islands, Greece, Iran, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Turkey.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus rubripes r. oertzeni Forel, 1889: 263 (s.w.) GREECE.
 * Finzi, 1939c: 158 (q.m.).
 * Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 97.
 * Subspecies of maculatus: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 241 (footnote), 246; Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Emery, 1898a: 225; Emery, 1898c: 148; Emery, 1908a: 200; Forel, 1911e: 290; Emery, 1915h: 4.
 * Subspecies of aethiops: Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 97; Santschi, 1934d: 280; Menozzi, 1936d: 302; Finzi, 1939c: 158.
 * Status as species: Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 59; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 284 (in key); Collingwood, 1993b: 195; Bolton, 1995b: 115; Radchenko, 1997d: 809; Petrov, 2006: 109 (in key); Paknia, et al. 2008: 153; Karaman, C. et al. 2011: 190; Karaman, M.G. 2011b: 71; Legakis, 2011: 31; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 480; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 7; Karaman, C. & Aktaç, 2013: 53 (in key); Borowiec, L. 2014: 38 (see note in bibliography); Lebas, et al. 2016: 152; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2018: 5; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 44.
 * Senior synonym of andrius: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
 * Senior synonym of kappariensis: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
 * Senior synonym of karawajewi: Radchenko, 1997d: 809.
 * Material of the unavailable name clara Karavaiev referred here by Radchenko, 1997d: 809.
 * andrius. Camponotus oertzeni var. andrius Dalla Torre, 1893: 246.
 * [First available use of Camponotus rubripes r. oertzeni var. andrius Forel, 1889: 265 (s.w.) GREECE; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 61).]
 * Menozzi, 1936d: 302 (q.l.); Finzi, 1939c: 158 (q.m.).
 * Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 97.
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Emery, 1908a: 200; Emery, 1915h: 4; Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 97; Finzi, 1928c: 791; Menozzi, 1936d: 302; Finzi, 1939c: 158.
 * Subspecies of oertzeni: Bolton, 1995b: 85.
 * Status as species: Radchenko, 1997d: 807; Legakis, 2011: 28; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 471; Borowiec, L. 2014: 26; Lebas, et al. 2016: 152.
 * Junior synonym of oertzeni: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
 * kappariensis. Camponotus oertzeni var. kappariensis Dalla Torre, 1893: 246.
 * [First available use of Camponotus rubripes r. oertzeni var. kappariensis Forel, 1889: 264 (s.w.) GREECE; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name (Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 61).]
 * As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list); Emery, 1908a: 200; Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 97.
 * Subspecies of oertzeni: Bolton, 1995b: 106.
 * Subspecies of aethiops: Legakis, 2011: 30 (error).
 * Junior synonym of oertzeni: Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 10.
 * karawajewi. Camponotus karawajewi Radchenko, 1996b: 1201 (s.w.) (diagnosis in key) AZERBAIJAN.
 * [Unresolved junior primary homonym of Camponotus (Colobopsis) karawaiewi Menozzi, 1926e: 96.]
 * Junior synonym of oertzeni: Radchenko, 1997d: 809.

Type Material
Salata and Borowiec (2018) - Camponotus oertzeni, syntype (w): C. rubripes, r. Oertzeni, Forel, Type, Samos Isl, b. Maratokampos, v. Oertzen, type; r. C. oertzeni; Typus; Coll. A. Forel.; oertzeni, 161; ANTWEB, CASENT0249625 ; C. andrius, syntype (w.): C. oertzeni, Forel, r. andrius, Ile Andros, leg. Oertzen; v. Andrius, Forel; Sp. l. Maculatus, (Suite) Fabr.; r. l. Oertzeni, (Suite) Forel;G. Camponotus; S. G. Myrmentoma, Suite For.; Typus; Coll., A. Forel; ANTWEB, CASENT0910194 (MHNG); C. andrius, syntype (w): C. oertzeni, Forel, v. andrius, Ile Andros, (v. Oertzen); Typus; Coll., A. Forel; andrius, 161; ANTWEB, CASENT0910195 (MHNG); C. kappariensis, syntypes (2w): rubripes, C. oertzeni, Forel, v. Kappariensis, Ile Kappari, Sudlichen Sporaden, v. Oertzen; Typus; v. Kappariensis

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

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 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
 * Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2018. Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Samos Island, Greece. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-13.
 * Bracko G., K. Kiran, C. Karaman, S. Salata, and L. Borowiec. 2016. Survey of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Greek Thrace. Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7945. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7945
 * Collingwood, C. A. 1993. A Comparitive Study of the Ant Fauna of Five Greek Islands. Biologia Gallo-hellenica. 20,1:191-197
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 * Czechowski W., A. Radchenko, W. Czechowska and K. Vepsäläinen. 2012. The ants of Poland with reference to the myrmecofauna of Europe. Fauna Poloniae 4. Warsaw: Natura Optima Dux Foundation, 1-496 pp
 * Emery C. 1886. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna 5: 363-382
 * Emery, C.. "Escursioni zoologiche del Dr. Enrico Festa nell'Isola di Rodi. XII. Formiche." Bollettino del Museo di Zoologia ed Anatomia Comparatadella Reale Università di Torino 30 (1915): 1-7.
 * Forel, A.. "Ameisen aus den Sporaden, den Cykladen und Griechenland, gesammelt 1887 von Herrn von Oertzen." Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift 32 (1889): 255-265.
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 * Karaman C., N. Aktac, and K. Kiran. 2009. Ants of the genus CamponotusMayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Kaz Mountains, Turkey, with descriptions of sexuals of Camponotus candiotes Emery, 1894 and Camponotus ionius Emery, 1920. Tubitak 35(2): 183-197.
 * Legakis Collection Database
 * Paknia O., A. Radchenko, H. Alipanah, and M. Pfeiffer. 2008. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Iran. Myrmecological News 11: 151-159.
 * Salata S., and L Borowiec. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
 * Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.
 * Santschi, F.. "Fourmis d'une croisière." Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique (Bruxelles) 74 (1934): 273-282.