Camponotus atimo

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Camponotus atimo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Subgenus: Myrmosaga
Species: C. atimo
Binomial name
Camponotus atimo
Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022

Camponotus atimo, endemic to Madagascar, generally occurs in the southern part of the island (Fig. 43D). Its habitats range from dry forest and coastal scrub on limestone of the southwestern region to the transitional forest in the extreme southeastern region and Uapaca woodland in the south-central region through the spiny forest and thicket in the extreme south of the island. Field work during the past 25 years has found this species foraging mostly on the ground and through leaf litter, and very rarely on lower vegetation. It usually nests under stones, in rotten logs and soil layers, and rarely in tree stumps.

Identification

With head in full-face view, lateral margins of head anterior to eye level parallel, lacking erect hairs; in oblique profile, four or more pairs of erect hairs arranged successively from level of anterior ocular margin towards posterior cephalic margin; clypeus with distinct anterolateral corner; in profile, junction of propodeal dorsum to declivity rounded; petiole nodelike and not anteroposteriorly compressed.

Camponotus atimo may be difficult to distinguish from Camponotus tapia in that both species have the same body shape and the dorsum of the head is fringed with four or more pairs of erect hairs arranged successively from the level of the anterior ocular margin towards the posterior cephalic margin. However, in C. tapia, the junction of the propodeal dorsum to declivity surface is angulate.

Camponotus atimo also may be confounded with Camponotus strangulatus, but the latter is characterized by the head having only three pairs of erect hairs arranged successively from the level of anterior ocular margin towards the posterior cephalic margin.

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Malagasy Region: Madagascar (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.

  • atimo. Camponotus atimo Rakotonirina & Fisher, 2022: 46, figs. 24A, 26B, 30A, 43 (s.w.) MADAGASCAR.

Type Material

  • Holotype worker. MADAGASCAR: Province Toliara: 3.5 km 236° SW Marovato, -25.55389, 45.25583, 230 m, spiny forest/thicket, ex rotten log, 14 Feb 2002 (Fisher, Griswold, and Arthropod Team) collection code: BLF05595, specimen code: CASENT0454042 (CAS).
  • Paratype. 1 major worker same data as holotype but specimen coded as: CASENT0454043 (major) (CAS).

Description

References