Camponotus asli

Camponotus asli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus
Species:	C. asli
Binomial name
	Camponotus asli; Dumpert, 1989 Specimen Labels

A Weaver Ant that uses silk in its nest construction.

Identification

A member of the subgenus Karavaievia. This group of Camponotus species is known for their monomorphic workers and their nest weaving behavior.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Malaysia (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

General details about the biology of species in this subgenus can be found on the Karavaievia webpage.

Castes


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Nomenclature

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

asli. Camponotus (Karavaievia) asli Dumpert, in Dumpert, Maschwitz, et al. 1989: 218, figs. 1-4 (w.q.) WEST MALAYSIA.
- Type-material: holotype worker, 20 paratype workers, 1 paratype queen.
- Type-locality: holotype Malaysia: Selangor, Gombak Valley, ca 25 km. N Kuala Lumpur, 3.vi.1986 (W. Nässig); paratypes: workers with same data, queen with same data but 31.i.1987 (U. Maschwitz).
- [Note: the paratype (= “gynetype”) queen has a different date and collector to the rest of the type-series, although earlier (p. 217) the authors state that a single nest was involved, collected by Nässig.]
- Type-depositories: NHMB (holotype); BMNH, KDPC, MCZC, MNKL (paratypes).
- Dumpert, in Dumpert, Maschwitz, et al. 1995: 101 (m.).
- Status as species: Bolton, 1995b: 86; Dumpert, in Dumpert, Maschwitz, et al. 1995: 101; Dumpert, Maschwitz & Weissflog, 2006: 77 (in key).
- Distribution: Malaysia (Peninsula).

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

Description

Male

Dumpert (1995) - Allotype: TL 4.1, HL 0.85, HW 0.78, CI 91, SL 0.95, SI 82, PW 1.03, OD 0.43. Paratype: TL 3.9, HL 0.75, HW 0.8, CI 107, SL 0.8, SI 100, PW 1.05, OD 0.4.

Head trapezoidal and nearly as wide as long (CI 91). Eyes are prominent and extending to the upper head sides. Occipital margin strongly rounded with protruding ocelli. Clypeus high with a slightly excised anterior margin. The sinuate frontal carinae are not reaching back to the upper end of the eyes. Eyes very large; maximum diameter 0.43 mm, or about 0.55 HW. Scapes long, projecting beyond occipital margin of the head by about half their length. Pedicel expanded at its distal end and thicker than following flagellar segments.

Head, alitrunk and gaster uniformly yellowish light brown, sentellum and metanotum dark brown. Front parts of head, antennal flagellum and tarsi lighter than the rest of body. All body parts shining. Cuticle covered with densely located small punctures, seen under the dissecting microscope. Decumbent pubescence on head, alitrunk and gaster; longer erect and suberect hairs scarcely on whole body. Petiolar scale triangular in profile, with a broad base tapering equally from front and behind to a ridge. Ridge with strong median excision.

Type Material

Dumpert (1995) - Allotype male, Peninsular Malaysia, Negeri Sembilan, Pasoh Forest Reserve, March/31/1992, K. Rosciszewski leg. (Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel). Paratype: 1 male with the same data as allotype (used for the scanning electron micrograph).

References

Dumpert, K.; Maschwitz, U.; Nässig, W.; Dorow, W. 1989. Camponotus (Karavaievia) asli sp. n. and C. (K.) montanus sp. n., two weaver ant species from Malaysia (Formicidae: Formicinae). Zool. Beitr. (N.F.). 32:217-231. (page 218, figs. 1-4 worker, queen described)
Dumpert, K. 1995. Taxonomy. Pp. 88-102 in: Dumpert, K., U. Maschwitz, A. Weissflog, K. Rosciszewski, I. Hj. Azarae. Six new weaver ant species from Malaysia: Camponotus (Karavaievia) striatipes, C. (K.) melanus, C. (K.) nigripes, C. (K.) belumensis, C. (K.) gentingensis, and C. (K.) micragyne. Malaysian Journal of Science. Series A:Life Sciences 16:87-105.