Camponotus mussolinii

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Camponotus mussolinii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. mussolinii
Binomial name
Camponotus mussolinii
Donisthorpe, 1936

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Specimen Labels

Known from only a limited number of collections, all from Papua New Guinea.

Identification

Shattuck (2005) - Minor. Enlarged hairs on pronotum present, white and covering the entire dorsal surface; pubescence on dorsum of head abundant and closely spaced.

This species is similar to Camponotus thadeus but differs in the colour of the erect body hairs and the abundant pubescence (the hairs are yellow and the pubescence sparse in thadeus) as well as in lacking the metapleural gland.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -9.199999809° to -9.199999809°.

 
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: New Guinea (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

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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.
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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.
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Biology

Castes

Nomenclature

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

  • mussolinii. Camponotus (Myrmophyma) mussolinii Donisthorpe, 1936e: 528 (w.) NEW GUINEA (Papua New Guinea).
    • Status as species: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 237; Bolton, 1995b: 112; Shattuck, 2005: 11 (redescription); Shattuck & Janda, 2009: 252 (in key).

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

Description

Worker

Shattuck (2005) - Minor. (n=4): CI 90–92, HL 1.86–1.94 mm, HW 1.68–1.77 mm, ML 2.80–2.95 mm, MTL 2.13–2.19 mm, SI 139–163, SL 2.40–2.47 mm.

Minor. Posterolateral surface of head essentially flat and with a weak angle running between the eye and the posterolateral corner; a slight concavity is present just below this ridge near the posterolateral corner. Antennal scape long, surpassing posterior margin of head by about one-half its length. Petiolar node low, forming a blunt, rounded angle dorsally and with a slight anterior tilt. White erect hairs abundant on pronotum (but not as dense as the enlarged hairs found in other species), those on the mesonotum, propodeum, petiolar node and gaster less abundant but still numerous; appressed pubescence abundant on entire body. Colour black with legs red-brown.

Type Material

Shattuck (2005) - Two worker syntypes from Kokoda, Papua New Guinea (The Natural History Museum, examined).

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • CSIRO Collection
  • Donisthorpe H. 1936. Five new species of ant (Formicidae) from various localities. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (10)18: 524-530.
  • Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
  • Shattuck S. O. 2005. Review of the Camponotus aureopilus species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), including a second Camponotus with a metapleural gland. Zootaxa 930: 1-20.