Camponotus maritimus

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Camponotus maritimus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. maritimus
Binomial name
Camponotus maritimus
Ward, 2005

Camponotus maritimus casent0005357 profile 1.jpg

Camponotus maritimus casent0005357 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

Occurs in a range of habitats, from open to forested, in coastal regions of California and the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Colonies are most frequently found under stones, less commonly in or under rotten wood.

Identification

Ward (2005) - Workers of C. maritimus can be distinguished from those of Camponotus vicinus by the narrower scape base, shorter scape, shorter legs, more closely adjacent frontal carinae, shinier integument, and sparser pubescence on abdominal tergites 3 and 4 (appressed hairs separated by about their lengths in C. maritimus, by less than their lengths in C. vicinus). Plots of SL by HW and LHT by HW separate all but the smallest workers of C. maritimus and C. vicinus (Figures 3–4), except in southern coastal California. In this latter region there are vicinus-like populations in chaparral and coastal sage scrub with atypically short scapes and legs. The workers of these populations can be separated from those of C. maritimus by the other characters, especially the duller integument of the head and abdominal tergites 3 and 4, and the denser pubescence on the latter. In addition workers of the southern coastal populations of vicinus are exceptionally hairy, with standing pilosity commonly present on the sides of the head, as seen in full-face view, and on the venter of the metafemur (standing pilosity generally absent on these structures in C. maritimus).

Distribution

Ward (2005) - C. maritimus occurs in coastal regions of California from Mendocino and Lake Counties to San Diego County (including the Channel Islands), and in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Habitats from which it has been collected include chaparral, serpentine chaparral, serpentine grassland, oak woodland, mixed redwood forest, coniferous forest on serpentine, and coastal scrub.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 39.2705° to 33.96667°.

   
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States (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

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Camponotus maritimus casent0010700 head 1.jpgCamponotus maritimus casent0010700 profile 1.jpgCamponotus maritimus casent0010700 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus maritimus casent0010700 label 1.jpg
Holotype of Camponotus maritimusWorker. Specimen code casent0010700. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by UCDC, Davis, CA, USA.
Camponotus maritimus casent0106083 head 1.jpgCamponotus maritimus casent0106083 profile 1.jpgCamponotus maritimus casent0106083 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus maritimus casent0106083 label 1.jpg
Paratype of Camponotus maritimusWorker. Specimen code casent0106083. Photographer Michael Branstetter, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by UCDC, Davis, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • maritimus. Camponotus maritimus Ward, 2005: 10, figs. 1-4 (s.w.q.m.) U.S.A. (California).

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

Description

Worker

Major (n = 30). HW 1.08–3.11, HL 1.44–3.17, SL 1.59–2.68, PW 0.93–1.97, LHT 1.78–3.01, CI 0.73–1.00, SI 0.79–1.54, REL 0.21–0.31, LHT/HW 0.94–1.71.

Medium-sized species, related to Camponotus vicinus but smaller on average and with a shinier appearance. Masticatory margin of mandibles with five teeth, the first four (counting from apex) acute, the proximal tooth truncate or weakly bifid, and subtended by a small tooth on the outer basal margin of mandible (dentition simpler—five acute teeth only—in smaller workers). Head as long as, or longer than, wide; sides of head weakly convex, diverging posteriorly, and rounding into concave posterior margin (in smaller workers sides of head subparallel and posterior margin convex). Eye about one-quarter of head length and not protruding from side of head in full-face view (breaking outline of head in smallest workers). Anterior clypeal margin crenulate, broadly convex in outline; median clypeal carina prominently developed. Scape relatively short (Figure 3); scape base subcylindrical, not strongly flattened or flared. Frontal carinae separated anteriorly by about one-fifth head width, flaring out posteriorly to about one-third of head width. Mesosoma dorsum convex in profile; dorsal face of propodeum longer than, and rounding into, declivitous face; propodeum markedly compressed from side to side. Petiole simple, scale-like in profile, with blunt summit, and convex in posterior view.

Legs relatively short; in largest workers (HW 2.50-3.10 mm), LHT not exceeding 3.00 mm. Body subopaque to sublucid, with a distinctly greater sheen than in workers of C. vicinus. Sculpture consisting of fine reticulations, with scattered punctures, coarser on head than on abdominal tergites. Pilosity moderately common on most of body, fine-tipped and golden-yellow; standing pilosity absent from scapes (except apices), external face of tibiae, and sides of head, present on clypeus, midline of head, venter of head, mesosoma, petiole and rest of metasoma. The following numbers of standing setae present on the indicated structures (counts include all sizes of workers): profemur 3-13, pronotum 2-20, mesonotum 2-13, propodeum 3-10, petiole 5-11, abdominal tergite III (exclusive of posterior margin) 4-21, abdominal tergite III posterior margin 5-15, abdominal tergite IV (exclusive of posterior margin) 5-24, abdominal tergite III posterior margin 8-28. Fine, appressed pubescence present on most of body but not forming a dense mat; appressed hairs on abdominal tergites 3 and 4 (gastric tergites 1 and 2) relatively short and sparse and separated by about their lengths. Medium to dark brown, head and metasoma darker, legs, antennal segments 2-12, and scape base usually lighter.

Type Material

Holotype worker, Jasper Ridge, San Mateo Co., California, U.S.A., 150m, 37º24'N 122º14'W, 3.iv.2004, under stone, oak woodland, P.S.Ward#15202 Museum of Comparative Zoology. Paratypes: series of workers, queens and males, same data and nest series as holotype The Natural History Museum, California Academy of Sciences, CDAE, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Museum of Comparative Zoology, University of California, Davis, National Museum of Natural History, William and Emma Mackay Collection.

Localities cited by Wheeler (1910g: 305) in his description of Camponotus maculatus subsp. vicinus var. maritimus are Pacific Grove and San José (H. Heath) and Catalina Island (C. F. Baker). Old specimens collected by Baker, Heath and Wheeler, and placed by Wheeler under “maritimus” in the MCZ collection, belong to three species: C. maritimus (from Catalina Island and Palo Alto), Camponotus semitestaceus (Palo Alto) and Camponotus vicinus (Pacific Grove). Some of these specimens are labeled as maritimus “types” but none of them has true type status because maritimus Wheeler is an unavailable name. For convenience I have chosen the holotype and paratypes of C. maritimus from a nest series collected recently at Jasper Ridge near Palo Alto, rather than from the old specimens. Wheeler, it seems, correctly inferred the presence of more than one species but he did not distinguish them with 100% accuracy.

References

  • Ward, P.S. 2005. A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 936: 1-68 (page 10, figs. 1-4 major worker described, DNA)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Longino, J.T. 2010. Personal Communication. Longino Collection Database
  • Ulyssea M. A., L. Pires do Prado, C. R. F. Brandao. 2017. Catalogue of the Dolichoderinae, Formicinae and Martialinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) types deposited at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 57(23): 295-311.
  • Ulyssea M. A., L. Pires do Prado, and C. R. F. Brandao. 2017. Catalogue of the Dolichoderinae, Formicinae and Martialinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) types deposited at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Papeis Avulos de Zoologia 57(23): 295-311.
  • Ward P. S. 2005. A synoptic review of the ants of California (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zootaxa 936: 1-68.