Camponotus hova Forel,

Collingwood, C. A., Pohl, F., Güsten, R., Wranik, W., van Harten, A., 2004, The ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago, Fauna of Arabia 20, pp. 473-495: 489-491

Camponotus hova Forel  Edit , 1891 Figs 18, 21

Camponotus rubripes r. maculatus var. hova Forel  Edit , 1886. - Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 30: 150 (name unavailable). (Madagascar).

Camponotus maculatus r. hova Forel  Edit , 1891. - Histoire Physique, Naturelle, et Politique de Madagascar 20: 35.

Camponotus maculatus  Edit (Fabricius, 1782). - Kohl 1907: 282 (misidentified).

Camponotus hova  Edit . - Collingwood 1985: 277; Collingwood & van Harten 1994: 39; Collingwood & Agosti 1996: 373.

Specimens examined: Yemen, Socotra Island:spms from Adho Dimello , IV.1967, K.M. Guichard, NHMB  Edit ; spms from Nojid , 16.IV.1993, A. van Harten, CCC  Edit ; spms from Farmihin , X.1998, W. Wranik, CWWR  Edit ; nest sample, Adho Dimello, base camp, 12°34'N 54°02'E, 940 m, 03.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2101, NHCY  Edit ; 1 large ☿, same data, NHCY  Edit ; 5 ☿☿, coast road east of Hadibo, coastal sand dunes , 12°36'N 54°21'E, 04-06.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2102, NHCY  Edit ; 1 small ☿, Diksam Plateau , 12°32'N 53°59 E, 1020 m, pitfall trap, 22-24.II.1999, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2103  Edit ; spms from Hasaant , 29.XI.1999, W. Wranik, CWWR  Edit ; 1 small ☿, 2 large ☿ ☿, Za’pad, XI.1999, FCUA  Edit ; spms from Hoq , 13.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR  Edit ; 1 ♂, Diksam, camp , 12°31'N 53°57'E, 26-27.X.2000, H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2104  Edit ; 4 ☿☿, Wadi Daneghan , 12°37N 54°04'E, 90 m, pitfall traps, 28-30.X.2000, A. van Harten & H. Pohl, HLMD-Hym-2105, NHCY  Edit ; 1 large ☿, 1 ♂, Nit , X.2000, V. Bejcek & K. Sfastny, FCUA  Edit ; 1 small ☿, 1 large ☿, Homhil , 12°35 N 54°18'E, 330 m, 20-21.XI.2000, V. Bejcek & K. Sfastny, FCUA  Edit ; 4 ♂ ♂, Wadi Fahr , 12°26'N 54°12'E, 70 m, 01.IV.2001, V. Bejcek & K. Sfastny, FCUA. -  Edit Yemen, Samha Island: spms from coastal area , 08.II.2000, W. Wranik, CWWR. -  Edit Yemen, Abd al-Kuri Island: spms from coastal plain , 18.II.1999, W. Wranik, CWWR  Edit .

Remarks: Occurring throughout the island complex off the African coast in the Indian Ocean, this species can be regarded as a Malagasy faunal element. It has a superficial resemblance to the Afrotropical C. maculatus  Edit , but differs in the reduced number of ventral head hairs, less clearly defined pale spots on the gaster and generally smaller size. The old record of Camponotus maculatus  Edit for Socotra (Kohl 1907), based on specimens collected in 1899 by the expedition of the Vienna museum, should certainly be referred to C. hova  Edit . Small workers of C. atlantis  Edit and C. hova  Edit may be uniformly pale and difficult to distinguish, but the spines on the hind tibiae of C. hova  Edit are absent in C. atlantis  Edit (Figs 17-18). In addition, large workers of C. atlantis  Edit usually lack the two to six suberect hairs present on the underside of the head in C. hova  Edit .

As the largest ants present on Socotra, a separate name for C. hova  Edit and C. atlantis  Edit - “kazer” - is used in the native language.