Camponotus kubaryi

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Camponotus kubaryi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. kubaryi
Binomial name
Camponotus kubaryi
Mayr, 1876

Camponotus kubaryi casent0904012 p 1 high.jpg

Camponotus kubaryi casent0904012 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Identification

Clouse et al. (2016) - Mayr’s (1876) description of this species consists of a few lines that describe it as 7.5 - 9.5 mm long, reddish-brown, and with a darker head, mandibles, and antennae, plus some description of characters that do little to distinguish it beyond being in the genus Camponotus.

Although this species is restricted to the islands of the Republic of Palau, which constitute an area of less than 500 km2 over 800 km away from any major landmass, it still shows noticeable morphological variation (for example, the head shapes and colors of syntypes). This may be due to the fact that the country is comprised of over 200 small limestone islands, which may divide this species into many somewhat isolated populations. Nonetheless, despite variation in tone and shade, and the degree to which the head is tapered and the vertex concave, it is the only Camponotus in Micronesia with a large, dark head, and its restriction to Palau makes identification straightforward.

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Palau (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

The phylogeography of a group of Pacific Island Camponotus species, which included a number of species groups, was broadly examined by Clouse et al. (2015). They found Camponotus kubaryi is a member of a clade (Clade IV) that tenuously appears to have originated in the Australian wet tropics but has undoubtedly spread and speciated across the Pacific Islands.

Clouse et al 2015 F3.jpg

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Camponotus kubaryi casent0904013 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904013 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904013 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904013 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Camponotus kubaryiWorker. Specimen code casent0904013. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Camponotus kubaryi casent0904014 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904014 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904014 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904014 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Camponotus kubaryiWorker. Specimen code casent0904014. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.
Camponotus kubaryi casent0910153 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0910153 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0910153 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0910153 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Camponotus kubaryiWorker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0910153. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.
Camponotus kubaryi casent0915760 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0915760 h 2 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0915760 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0915760 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0915760 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Camponotus kubaryiWorker. Specimen code casent0915760. Photographer Harald Bruckner, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by NHMW, Vienna, Austria.
Camponotus kubaryi focol2409 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi focol2409 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi focol2409 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi focol2409 p 2 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi focol2409 l 1 high.jpg
Type of Camponotus kubaryiWorker. Specimen code focol2409. Photographer Christiana Klingenberg, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by ZMHB, Berlin, Germany.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Camponotus kubaryi casent0904015 h 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904015 p 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904015 d 1 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904015 p 2 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904015 p 3 high.jpgCamponotus kubaryi casent0904015 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Camponotus kubaryiMale (alate). Specimen code casent0904015. Photographer Z. Lieberman, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MSNG, Genoa, Italy.

Nomenclature

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

  • kubaryi. Camponotus kubaryi Mayr, 1876: 66 (s.w.) PALAU IS.
    • Combination in C. (Myrmoturba): Forel, 1914a: 267;
    • combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925b: 94.
    • Subspecies of maculatus: Emery, 1896d: 370 (in list).
    • Subspecies of irritans: Emery, in Dalla Torre, 1893: 236 (footnote); Emery, 1920c: 7; Emery, 1925b: 94; Karavaiev, 1929c: 236; Karavaiev, 1930a: 213; Wheeler, W.M. 1935g: 40; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 247; Bolton, 1995b: 107.
    • Status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 237; Forel, 1901h: 70; Clouse, et al. 2016: 147 (redescription).

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

Description

Worker

Clouse et al. (2016) - Majors: EL 0.59 (range 0.56 - 0.60), EW 0.43 (0.40 - 0.45), FCL 1.49 (1.45 - 1.55), HL 2.75 (2.56 - 2.95), HW 2.60 (2.40 - 2.75), ML 3.35 (3.16 - 3.55), MTL 2.02 (1.97 - 2.10), PH 0.96 (0.73 - 1.10), PL 0.72 (0.56 - 0.85), SL 2.15 (2.10 - 2.20); CI 94 (93 - 96), SI 83 (80 - 88); mesosoma medium yellow, head and gaster much darker, approaching black; head tapering and vertex distinctly concave; standing hairs present on propleuron and hind femur. Minors: EL 0.46 (0.45 - 0.46), EW 0.36 (0.35 - 0.36), FCL 1.17 (1.10 - 1.24), HL 1.71 (1.60 - 1.82), HW 1.35 (1.20 - 1.50), ML 2.73 (2.45 - 3.00), MTL 2.09 (1.70 - 2.48), PH 0.77 (0.70 - 0.84), PL 0.48 (0.36 - 0.60), SL 2.01 (2.00 - 2.02); CI 79 (75 - 82), SI 150 (134 - 167); mesosoma light yellow, head and gaster much darker, approaching black; head tapering and vertex convex.

Determination Clarifications

Clouse et al. (2016) - These characters match those of three other specimens not used in this study but described in Clouse (2007a) under the species code "sp. 1945". The specimens can now be securely identified as C. kubaryi. The two majors had total lengths of 8.2 and 7.9 mm, matching Mayr’s original description, and the following other measurements are very similar to those of the specimens we examined here: HL 3.00, HW 2.83, SL 2.30, CI 94, and SI 81 for the larger specimen, and HL 2.73, HW 2.63, SL 2.07, CI 96, and SI 87 for the smaller. Likewise, the minor specimen of "sp. 1945" is very similar to the ones here: HL 1.77, HW 1.33, SL 1.77, CI 75, and SI 133.

References

  • Clouse, R.M., Blanchard, B.D., Gibson, R., Wheeler, W.C. & Janda, M. 2016. Taxonomic updates for some confusing Micronesian species of Camponotus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Myrmecological News 23: 139-152.
  • Clouse, R. M., M. Janda, B. Blanchard, P. Sharma, B. D. Hoffmann, A. N. Andersen, J. E. Czekanski-Moir, P. Krushelnycky, C. Rabeling, E. O. Wilson, E. P. Economo, E. M. Sarnat, D. M. General, G. D. Alpert, and W. C. Wheeler. 2015. Molecular phylogeny of Indo-Pacific carpenter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Camponotus) reveals waves of dispersal and colonization from diverse source areas. Cladistics. 31:424-437. doi:10.1111/cla.12099
  • Emery, C. 1896j. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Mem. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna (5)5:363-382 (page 370, Subspecies of maculatus)
  • Emery, C. 1920d. Studi sui Camponotus. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 52: 3-48 (page 7, Subspecies of irritans)
  • Emery, C. 1925d. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Formicinae. Genera Insectorum 183: 1-302 (page 94, Combination in C. (Tanaemyrmex))
  • Forel, A. 1914a. Le genre Camponotus Mayr et les genres voisins. Rev. Suisse Zool. 22: 257-276 (page 267, Combination in C. (Myrmoturba))
  • Karavaiev, V. 1929e. Ameisen aus dem Indo-Australischen Gebiet. VI. Zb. Prats Zool. Muz. 7:235-248 [= Tr. Vseukr. Akad. Nauk Fiz.-Mat. Vidd. 13:233-246]. (page 236, Subspecies of irritans)
  • Mayr, G. 1876. Die australischen Formiciden. J. Mus. Godeffroy 12: 56-115 (page 66, soldier, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Emery C. 1886. Saggio di un catalogo sistematico dei generi Camponotus, Polyrhachis e affini. Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna 5: 363-382
  • Forel A. 1901. Formiciden des Naturhistorischen Museums zu Hamburg. Neue Calyptomyrmex-, Dacryon-, Podomyrma- und Echinopla-Arten. Mitt. Naturhist. Mus. Hambg. 18: 43-82.
  • Karavaiev V. 1930. Ameisen von den Molukken und Neuguinea. (Ergebnisse der Sunda-Expedition der Notgemeinschaft der deutschen Wissenschaft 1929/30.). Zool. Anz. 92: 206-214.