Camponotus nitidescens

Camponotus nitidescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus
Subgenus:	Myrmentoma
Species group:	kiesenwetteri
Species:	C. nitidescens
Binomial name
Camponotus nitidescens Forel, 1889 Specimen Labels

The nest of Camponotus nitidescens was on a cracked rock wall under a loose piece of rock. The rock was situated on the edge of a natural deciduous forest composed of low oaks and underbrush heavily overgrown with Mediterranean macchia. The wall with the nest was on north-western exposure (Borowiec & Salata, 2014).

Identification

Salata et al. (2019) - A member of the Camponotus kiesenwetteri species group. Head, mesosoma, and gaster uniformly brownish-black to black; metanotal groove present, shallow; propodeum without protrusions; body punctate, mesosoma with sculpture reduced and its lateral sides at least partially shiny; base of scape without extension; whole body bears long, thick, pale, dense and erect setae, and short appressed microsetae; petiolar scale thick.

Camponotus nitidescens together with Camponotus schulzi are well distinguished from other species of the kiesenwetteri species group in the partly reduced sculpture of the mesosoma and gaster with, at least, the lateral sides of mesosoma partly shiny. However, the sculpture is never as shiny as in members of related members of the Camponotus lateralis species group.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Camponotus kiesenwetteri species group
• Key to Camponotus species of the subgenus Myrmentoma of Greece

Distribution

Salata et al. (2019) Niche modeling - Although the known distribution is restricted to the western area of the Aegean region, highly suitable areas are indicated in Crete, northeast coast of Turkey, coast of Syria and Lebanon. Solar radiation was the variable that contributed the most to the distribution model.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 38.78302° to 37°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Greece (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

Borowiec and Salata (2022), for Greece - A rare species known from only few samples. Reported from coniferous forests, stream valley with mixed forest and mountain pastures with oak shrubs. All collecting sites were in mountains at an altitude between 1000 and 1700 m.

Castes

Worker

Salata et al. 2019. Figure 15-16. Camponotus nitidescens major (15) and minor (16).

Nomenclature

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

• nitidescens. Camponotus kiesenwetteri r. nitidescens Forel, 1889: 260 (w.q.m.) GREECE (Kephalonia).
  • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype queens, syntype males (numbers not stated).
  • Type-locality: Greece: Kephalonia I. (E. von Oertzen).
  • [Note: this taxon is based on specimens of C. kiesenwetteri (Roger), sensu Forel, 1886e: clx, misidentification.]
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Combination in C. (Myrmentoma): Emery, 1925b: 121.
  • Subspecies of kiesenwetteri: Emery, 1896d 376 (in list); Emery, 1914d: 159; Emery, 1925b: 121; Finzi, 1930d: 318; Bolton, 1995b: 114.
  • Junior synonym of piceus: Radchenko, 1997b: 707; Legakis, 2011: 31; Radchenko, 2016: 334.
  • Status as species: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2014b: 502 (redescription); Lebas, et al. 2016: 140; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 43; Salata, Loss, et al. 2019: 94; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2022: 100.
  • Distribution: Greece.

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

Description

Worker

Borowiec and Salata (2022) - Moderately large, polymorphic; minor worker: HL: 1.095-1.270 (mean 0.963); HW: 0.873-1.048 (mean 0.969); SL: 1.159-1.302 (mean 1.250); EL: 0.254-0.302 (mean 0.284); ML: 1.72-1.92; MW: 0.80-0.94. Color. Body completely black except yellowish transparent anterior explanate margin of pronotum, brownish apical half of mandibles and whitish to whitish yellow posterior margins of gastral tergites; antennal scapus dark brown to black often with yellowish brown to reddish brown apex, funiculus dark brown to black; coxa black, femora and tibiae brown to dark brown, trochanters and extreme apex of femora and tibiae often partly yellowish, tarsi from yellow to brown. Head. Stout, 1.2- 1.3 times longer than wide, in front of eyes softly converging anterad, behind eyes regularly rounded, posterior margin slightly convex. Clypeus pentagonal, with anterior margin slightly convex, simple or slightly crenulate, without median emargination, posterior margin in the middle emarginate by frontal triangle, whole surface distinctly microreticulated, surface opalescent dull, covered with short and sparse appressed hairs, anterior margin with a row of 3-5 very long setae and between long setae often with few very short setae, whole Clypeus with several moderately long and long erected setae. Head distinctly microreticulate, surface opalescent dull, frons with well-marked impunctate median line, whole surface, including gena, sides of head and occipital area with short and sparse appressed hairs and long erected setae, ventral side of head with more than 10 moderately long to long erected setae. Scape moderately long, 1.2-1.4 times as long as width of head, at apex twice wider than in base, its surface diffusely to distinctly microreticulate, shiny, with short and sparse appressed pubescence, without decumbent hairs or erected setae; base of scapus without horizontal extension. Funicular segments elongate, thin, first segment 2.3 times as long as wide and 1.6 times as long as second segment, third segment distinctly longer than second, the rest of funicular segments distinctly longer than broad. Eyes moderately big, almost round, 0.24 length of head. Mandibles stout, microreticulate but without coarse punctures, surface shiny with long decumbent and erect setae. Mesosoma. Moderately elongate, 2.0- 2.1 times as long as wide, dorsally with strong microreticulate sculpture, laterally with less strong microreticulation tending to form longitudinal and oblique striation, dorsum appears slightly opalescent dull, sides appears indistinctly shiny. In lateral view dorsum with shallow but distinct mesonotal groove, saddle-shaped propodeum low and elongate, 1,7 times as long as wide, with flat dorsum and truncate posterior margin, posterior face not excavate with well-marked but not protruding posterad dorsal angles. Surface of promesonotum with short and scarce depressed to decumbent hairs, of propodeum also with subdecumbent to decumbent hairs, whole dorsum with numerous moderately long to long erected setae, the longest with length to 0.270. Waist and gaster. Petiolar scale thin, broad in anterior view, PI: 1.54–1.74, with convex anterior and flat posterior face, apex rounded; anterior and posterior surface transversely striate, without pubescence, apical crest with 6-10 very long erected setae. Gaster shorter than mesosoma, tergites with strong microreticulation partly tending to form transversely striate microsculpture, surface indistinctly shiny to slightly dull, covered with moderately long but scarce appressed hairs; each tergite with numerous, very long erected setae. Legs. Moderately elongate, hind femora shorter than mesosoma, surface of legs covered with short and sparse appressed hairs, inner margin of hind tibiae with row of 1-3 thorns. Ventral surface of fore femora with 4-6 long erected setae.

Major worker: Large, HL: 1.890-2.030 (mean 1.974); HW: 1.800-1.960 (mean 1.875); SL: 1.600-1.720 (mean 1.678); EL: 0.397-0.429 (mean 0.413); ML: 2.40-2.60; MW: 1.28-1.36. Body color and sculpture as in minor workers. Head stouter, approximately as long as wide, sides of head softly convex, posterior margin often straight to shallowly concave. Clypeus in the middle with triangular emargination. Scapus shorter, 0.9 times as long as width of head. Eyes relatively smaller, 0.21 times as long of head. Setation on head and whole dorsum more numerous than in minor workers, petiole less thick, crest with 12-16 very long setae. Propodeal dorsum shorter, 1,4 times as long as wide. Ventral surface of fore femora with 10-16 long erected setae.

Type Material

Salata et al. (2019) - Syntype workers, Kefalonia, Greece (Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève) (syntypes personally investigated, CASENT0910437 and CASENT0910438)

Taxonomic Notes

Seifert (2019): This taxon has been described from Kephalonia / Greece. Investigation of types of all castes from Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, all labeled ‘...Kephalonia...nitidescens...type’, showed a much stronger sculpture and much denser pubescence on all body surfaces than observed in any member of the C. lateralis group. This results in a matte surface appearance at smaller magnifications. This difference to the C. lateralis group is most obvious on gaster tergites. These characters are perhaps a little less expressed than in the Camponotus kiesenwetteri type. Borowiec and Salata (2014) have raised C. k. nitidescens to species level and considered it closely related to Camponotus boghossiani without comparing type specimens or discussing photos of type specimens of C. kiesenwetteri, C. k. nitidescens and C. boghossiani.

References

• Borowiec, L. & Salata, S. 2014. Redescription of Camponotus nitidescens Forel, 1889, new status and notes on ants from Kefalonia, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(3):499-517.
• Borowiec, L., Salata, S. 2022. A monographic review of ants of Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Vol. 1. Introduction and review of all subfamilies except the subfamily Myrmicinae. Part 1: text. Natural History Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum 1: 1-297.
• Borowiec, L., van Delft, J.P.L., van Delft, J.J.C.W., Salata, S. 2023. Five ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) new to the Greek fauna with notes on ants from Greek Thrace. Annales of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, Entomology 32 (online 008), 1-13 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.10101028).
• Salata, S., Borowiec, L., Trichas, A. 2020. Review of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Crete, with keys to species determination and zoogeographical remarks. Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum No 12: 5–296 (doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3738001).
• Salata, S., Loss, A.C., Karaman, C., Kiran, K., Borowiec, L. 2019. Review of the Camponotus kiesenwetteri group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Aegean with the description of a new species. ZooKeys 899: 85–107 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.899.46933).
• Seifert, B. 2019. A taxonomic revision of the members of the Camponotus lateralis species group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Europe, Asia Minor and Caucasia. Soil Organisms 91: 7-32 (doi:10.25674/so-91-1-02).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2017. Ants of the Peloponnese, Greece (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 86: 193-236.
• Emery C. 1914. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Bearbeitung von O. Leonhard's Sammlungen. 5. Südeuropäische Ameisen (Hym.). Entomologische Mitteilungen. Berlin-Dahlem 3: 156-159.
• Forel A. 1910. Glanures myrmécologiques. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 54: 6-32.
• Salata S., A. C. Loss, C. Karaman, K. Kiran, and L. Borowiec. 2019. Review of the Camponotus kiesenwetteri group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Aegean with the description of a new species. ZooKeys 899: 85-107.
• Salata S., and L Borowiec. 2017. Species of Tetramorium semilaeve complex from Balkans and western Turkey, with description of two new species of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 62:279–313.
• Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
• Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2019. Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species. ZooKeys 877: 81-131.