Camponotus themistocles Forel, 2022

Rasoamanana, Nicole & Fisher, Brian L., 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Malagasy endemic subgenus Mayria of the genus Camponotus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) based on qualitative morphology and quantitative morphometric analyses, ZooKeys 1081, pp. 137-231 : 137

Camponotus themistocles Forel stat. nov.

Figures 5D , 15B , 16C , 18A, B , 56

Camponotus darwinii themistocles Forel, 1910: 456. Holotype minor worker, Madagascar, Fort Dauphin S. E. Madagascar, AntWeb CASENT0101381 (MHNG).

Camponotus (Myrmobrachys) darwinii themistocles Forel, 1914: 271.

Camponotus (Myrmepomis) darwinii themistocles Emery, 1920: 258. Stat.nov.

Camponotus darwinii Subspecies of Camponotus darwinii Santschi, 1911: 133.

Camponotus Myrmopiromis Subspecies of Camponotus (Myrmopiromis) Wheeler, 1922: 1051; Emery, 1925: 128.

Worker diagnosis.

Integument dark brown with rust or red-brown suberect pilosity. Anterior clypeal margin with rectangular projection. Petiole scale thin with sharp border.

Description of minor worker.

Medium-sized. Absolute cephalic size (CS: 1.82 ± 0.37; 1.53-1.98). In full-face view, head slightly longer than broad, a little narrower in front than in back, with straight occipital and feebly convex lateral margins (CWb/CL: 0.36 ± 0.03; 0.34-0.38). Eyes circular, placed much closer to the lateral sides (PoOC/CL: 0.07 ± 0.01; 0.07-0.08). Mandibles triangular with sixteeth. With head in full-face view, anterior clypeal margin produced, entire, and angularly projecting in the middle. Antennal scape circular, long, surpassing the occiput by the lengths of two basal funiculi (SL/CS: 0.41 ± 0.05; 0.38-0.44). In lateral view, anterodorsal corner of pronotum broadly rounded, mesosomal dorsum moderately arcuate, propodeum dorsum a little shorter than the declivity, each straight in profile and meeting at an obtuse angle (MW/ML: 0.21 ± 0.02, 0.20-0.22; MPD/ML: 0.24 ± 0.03; 0.22-0.26). In lateral view, petiolar node wedge-shaped, with feebly convex anterior and flattened posterior faces. Ants entirely reticulate-punctate. Mandible finely striolate with sparse punctures. Pilosity and pubescence brownish yellow, the former long and curved forward especially on vertex, frontal area, and mesosomal dorsum; mostly short and sparse on gastral tergites; petiolar dorsum edge with four or five pairs of brownish yellow hairs. Body color matte black, apical portion of mandible reddish.

Description of major worker.

Characteristics of minor workers, except: head somewhat cordate, with nearly straight posterior margin and slightly convex lateral sides (CS: 2.68 ± 0.36, 2.26-3.15; CWb/CL: 1.05 ± 0.04, 0.99-1.11). Eyes elliptical, placed dorsally midway from the occipital margin (PoOC/CL: 0.23 ± 0.01, 0.22-0.25). Clypeus much more quadrate in full-face view with truncate anterior margin (ClyL/GPD: 0.82 ± 0.07, 0.73-0.93). Antennal scape short, just surpassing the occipital border (SL/CS: 0.75 ± 0.03, 0.71-0.79). Dorsal outline of mesosoma interrupted by pronotal and mesonotal sutures, basal portion of propodeum forms an obtuse angle with the declivity. Lateral portion of head finely punctate, frontal area and vertex with deep punctures.

Distribution and biology.

Camponotus themistocles has been collected at three localities in southern Madagascar (Fig. 58E ): two are littoral forest and one is gallery forest. All sites are at low altitudes from 10 to 30 meters. Camponotus themistocles is a ground nester; most collections have been made from sifted litter, rotten logs, and dead twigs above the ground.

Discussion.

Camponotus themistocles differs from C. radovae by its larger size and the sculpture of the lateral sides o f its mesosoma, which is finely reticulate-punctate in the former and widely striolate in the later. In addition, in lateral view, the petiole scale of C. themistocles has an acute summit but is blunt in C. radovae . Pubescence is long and abundant in C. themistocles , and short and dilute in C. radovae . Morphometrical analysis reveals that C. themistocles and C. ellioti are the same size, but differ in integument coloration and pilosity pattern on the gastral tergite.

Additional material examined.

Province Toliara: Foret de Petriky , 12.5 km W 272° Tolagnaro , -25.06167, 46.87, 10 m, littoral rainforest (B.L. Fisher) (CAS); Forêt Mandena 8.5 km N Tolagnaro, -24.95267, 47.0025, 20 m, littoral rainforest (BLF) (CAS); Mandena, 8.4 km NNE 30° Tolagnaro, -24.95167, 47.00167, 20 m, littoral rainforest (B.L. Fisher) (CAS); Ranobe, -23.04085, 43.61012, 30 m, gallery forest (Frontier Wilderness Project) (CAS) .

Figures

Figure 5. Morphological character of minor and major workers of C. darwinii species group A head of minor worker in full-face view of C. darwinii (CASENT 0179460) B body in lateral view of the same species C head of major worker in full-face view C. nossibeensis (CASENT 0493593) D body in lateral view of C. themistocles (CASENT 0217297).

Figure 15. Hair color A C. norvigi (CASENT 0923254) B C. themistocles (CASENT 0217297).

Figure 16. Mesosomal and gastral pilosity A C. ursus (CASENT 0217284) B C. darwinii (CASENT 0071420) C C. themistocles (CASENT 0217297) D C. radovae (CASENT 0121525).

Figure 18. Head in full-face view A, B C. themistocles (CASENT 0217297) C, D C. radovae (CASENT 0066208) and mesosomal pilosity for both species.

Figure 56. Camponotus themistocles minor worker (CASENT 0217297) 1 body in lateral view 2 head in full-face view 3 body in dorsal view.

Figure 58. Distribution map of C. darwinii species group A C. darwinii B C. norvigi C C. nossibeensis D C. radovae E C. themistocles F C. ursus