Camponotus asara

Camponotus asara is endemic to Madagascar and geographically restricted to the dry forest of the PN Zombitse in the southern high plateau of the island and the relict montane rainforest of the PN Ambohijanahary (Fig. 42D). Colony nests can be in rotten logs and in rot pockets above the ground. Workers have been found foraging in leaf litter and on the ground.

Identification
With head in full-face view, lateral margins of head anterior to eye level, parallel, and lacking erect hairs; lateral cephalic margin rounding to posterior margin; anteromedian clypeal margin continuously forming broad convexity; propodeal dorsum more or less straight and separated from declivity surface by broad angle.

Camponotus asara is morphologically similar to Camponotus bozaka and Camponotus becki in that its petiolar node is more or less compressed anteroposteriorly in lateral view and its body color is black to dark brown, or the posterior portion of the mesosoma is pale brown to yellow. However, C. bozaka has a scalelike petiolar node, short and high mesosoma, and propodeal dorsum that joins the declivity in a blunt angle with a length < 2 × height of the declivity, the junction being angulate. Regarding C. becki, its anteromedian clypeal margin is truncate and a few erect hairs are present on the lateral margin of the head behind the level of the posterior ocular margin.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Malagasy Region: Madagascar.

Nomenclature

 * . Camponotus asara Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 44, figs. 27B, 28A, 42 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.

Type Material

 * Holotype worker. MADAGASCAR: Province Toliara: PN Zombitse, 19.8 km 84° E Sakaraha, -22.84333, 44.71, 770 m, tropical dry forest, ex rotten log, 05–09 Feb 2003 (Fisher, Griswold et al.) collection code: BLF07523, specimen code: CASENT0493252 (CAS).
 * Paratypes. 3 workers, same data as holotype but with the following specimen codes: CASENT0493251, CASENT0837576, CASENT0837577 (NHMUK, CAS).