Camponotus marcens

Camponotus marcens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus
Species:	C. marcens
Binomial name
	Camponotus marcens; Forel, 1907 Specimen Labels

The brightly-coloured minor workers with a yellow-and-black gaster are most commonly encountered, often as they are running rapidly up and down Jarrah and Marri trunks. These ants will seek to evade detection by keeping to the opposite side of the tree to the side where the observer is standing. (Heterick 2009)

Identification

McArthur (2009) - Camponotus marcens has the sides of its head converging posteriorly in the minor worker whereas in Camponotus claripes the sides are parallel.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Heterick (2009) - Seems to be confined to the Darling Range and southern wheatbelt (WA).

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -18.06666667° to -32.91666667°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb


Syntype of Camponotus marcens. Worker. Specimen code casent0910374. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

marcens. Camponotus claripes subsp. marcens Forel, 1907h: 300 (s.w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
- Combination in C. (Myrmophyma): Emery, 1925b: 110.
- Subspecies of claripes: Emery, 1925b: 110; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 111; Taylor, 1987a: 11; Bolton, 1995b: 110; McArthur, 2007a: 333.
- Status as species: McArthur, 2009: 278 (redescription); Heterick, 2009: 67; McArthur, 2014: 154.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Length 6.5 - 11.5mm. Worker major. Head more trapeze shaped with very weak convex sides, longer than broad, strongly edged behind. Eyes set nearer to the back. The basal surface of the propodeum is horizontal, and as long as the declining surface.The mandibles less curved. The whole ant is slimmer and the legs longer. Head almost dull. The sculpture is fine and much thicker and sharper than with the type. The coarse sculpture on the forehead is similar. Golden red; the fore part of the gaster is reddish yellow. Head and upper part of the gaster, apart from the yellow gold seam of the segments, dark brown. Antennae yellowish brown. Same as the type.

Worker minor. Head behind narrower than in front, with convex border (the type it is wider than in front,with a concave border behind). Thorax is much less convex, longer. Eyes smaller. Reddish gold, mandibles and anterior border of the head yellow gold, posterior of the gaster brown; antennae bright brown. Otherwise same as the major.

McArthur (2009) - (Type material, MHNG): Major worker HW 2.85, HL 3.00, PW 1.90, FCW 1.0, HT 2.00, EL 0.55, TL 1.90. Minor worker HW 1.10, HL 1.60, PW 1.00, FCW 0.4, HT 0.90, EL 0.35, TL 1.70.

Major. Head sides posterior three quarters straight slightly tapering anteriorly, anterior quarter convex more strongly tapering anteriorly. Vertex nearly straight, in side view swollen. Clypeus anterior median third projecting forward, bounded by two blunt teeth, concave between. Mandibles with 6 teeth. Integument mainly glossy. Mesosoma in profile uniformly convex. Metanotum with two close transverse lines followed posteriorly by a short steep decline. Propodeum angle 135°, rounded. PD / D ~ 1.5. Petiolar node summit tending sharp. Erect setae on mesosoma dorsum sparse and scattered. Genae and underside of head with plentiful erect setae. Scape with plentiful short setae raised to 10° with a few erect. Tibiae with short setae raised to 10°. Colour: head and gaster reddish brown, mesosoma yellow brown.

Minor. Head sides straight tapering posteriorly. Vertex strongly convex. Clypeus anterior margin projecting anteriorly, feebly convex. Mandibles with 6 teeth. Integument mainly glossy. Mesosoma in profile uniformly weakly convex. Propodeal angle rounded. Petiolar node thick, length about half height, summit blunt. Erect setae on mesosoma dorsum sparse and scattered. Genae and underside of head with plentyful erect setae. Scape with plentiful short setae raised to 10° with a few erect. Tibiae with short setae raised to 10°. Colour: reddish yellow.

Type Material

Station 101, Mundaring Weir; Station 103, Guildford.

McArthur (2009) - 2 syntypes (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève): 1 major and 1 minor worker “Forel Typus Hamburg SW Aust Exp 1905 Stat 101 Mundaring Weir 9.VII”.

Type Material

Camponotus claripes marcens Forel, 1907: Syntype, worker(s), Mundaring Weir and Guildford, Western Australia, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
Camponotus claripes marcens Forel, 1907: Syntype, 2 workers, Mundaring Weir, Western Australia, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Heterick B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 76: 1-206.
McArthur A. J. 2009. New species, new status and new synonymy for Camponotus from Australia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 12: 273-286.