Camponotus pudorosus

AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Camponotus pudorosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Tribe: Camponotini
Genus: Camponotus
Species: C. pudorosus
Binomial name
Camponotus pudorosus
Emery, 1925

Camponotus pudorosus casent0103420 profile 1.jpg

Camponotus pudorosus casent0103420 dorsal 1.jpg

Specimen labels

A ground nesting species.

Identification

Medium-sized species in the C. festinatus complex. Major worker mandible microrugose and slightly shiny between scattered piligerous punctures; antennal scape of major with abundant long subappressed to suberect setae along dorsal and mesial surfaces; antennal scape of minor worker with dense suberect short fine setae and numerous longer suberect coarser setae; erect to suberect setae present along entire length of head margin.

Camponotus pudorosus is similar to Camponotus festinatus but somewhat smaller and, as noted by Wheeler (1914) with a shinier and less strongly sculptured head. These features were cited to distinguish C. pudorosus from what he regarded as typical Camponotus picipes from the same locality; those picipes were, in part at least, what I here understand to be C. festinatus. Additionally, C. pudorosus differs from C. festinatus in the consistently more pilose antennal scape of both worker subcastes. (Snelling 2006)

Distribution

Mexico and United States. Central Mexico north to Arizona and probably southwestern New Mexico. I have examined material from the Mexican states of Hidalgo, Jalisco and Michoacán. The only United States material that I have seen is all from Arizona: Cochise Co. (Chiricahua Mts.; Huachuca Mts.); Graham Co. (Hwy. 366, 12 mi SW junction with Hwy. 191); Pima Co. (Santa Catalina Mts.); Santa Cruz Co. (Pajarita Mts.; Santa Rita Mts.; 1.5 mi NE Ruby; 1 mi SE Peña Blanca Lake); Yavapai Co. (3 mi NW Peoples Valley). (Snelling 2006)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 40.014986° to 19.296771°.

     
North
Temperate
North
Subtropical
Tropical South
Subtropical
South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Nearctic Region: United States.
Neotropical Region: Mexico (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

MCZ-ENT00009120 Camponotus maculatus subsp picipes var pudorosus hef.jpgMCZ-ENT00009120 Camponotus maculatus subsp picipes var pudorosus hal.jpgMCZ-ENT00009120 Camponotus maculatus subsp picipes var pudorosus had.jpgMCZ-ENT00009120 Camponotus maculatus subsp picipes var pudorosus lbs.jpg
. Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.


Images from AntWeb

Camponotus pudorosus casent0103421 head 1.jpgCamponotus pudorosus casent0103421 profile 1.jpgCamponotus pudorosus casent0103421 dorsal 1.jpgCamponotus pudorosus casent0103421 label 1.jpg
Worker (major/soldier). Specimen code casent0103421. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by LACM, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

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

  • pudorosus. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) picipes var. pudorosus Emery, 1925b: 81.
    • [First available use of Camponotus maculatus subsp. picipes var. pudorosus Wheeler, W.M. 1914b: 57 (s.w.q.m.) MEXICO (Hidalgo); unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.]
    • Subspecies of picipes: Kempf, 1972a: 69; Bolton, 1995b: 119.
    • Status as species: Snelling, R.R. 2006: 92 (redescription).

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

This ant was originally described by Wheeler (1914) as a variety of C. maculatus subsp. picipes (Olivier, 1792) and, thus, an unavailable quadrinomen. Emery (1925) elevated C. picipes to species level and included C. pudorosus as a subspecies of C. picipes and the name is available from that date. The original material was collected at Guerrero Mill, Hidalgo, Mexico, and was said to consist of "numerous workers, a male and a female, from nests under stones"; syntypic specimens are in MCZ and USNM. Camponotus picipes was originally described from French Guiana and has acquired seven subspecies ranging from northern South America to Mexico and the Caribbean (Kempf 1972). Unfortunately, there has never been any certainty as to the identity of C. picipes, nor has it been consistently interpreted. Mexican material that I have examined, identified as C. picipes, has included more than one species. W.P. Mackay, in his extensive, but unpublished, studies of the systematics of Neotropical Camponotus, has determined that C. pudorosus should be treated as a distinct species, separate from both C. picipes and C. festinatus. For purposes of this paper I have here followed his interpretation, although I have not examined the syntypes of C. pudorosus. (Snelling 2006)

Description

Worker

Snelling (2006) – Major (n=12). Measurements: HL 2.10-2.40; HW 1.85-2.15; EL 0.50-0.60; HFL 2.20-2.50; SL 2.10-2.25; PW 1.25-1.40; ML 2.95-3.30. Indices: CI 87-93; HFI 109-123; OI 24-26; SI 93-102.

Major workers agree generally with the description but are smaller and the head shape in frontal view differs. EL 0.58-0.67 × OMD; ICD 0.59-0.64 × HW.

Pilosity about as described for Camponotus festinatus; side of pronotum usually with 1 to several short standing setae near ventral margin. The following numbers of long standing (decumbent to fully erect) setae present on indicated structures scape shaft (longest only, 11-21), ventral margin of profemur (9-12), pronotal disc (20-28), mesonotum (6-12), propodeum (5-6), petiole (4-8), disc of gastral tergum 1 (12-14), premarginal band of gastral tergum 1 (12-14).

Minor (n=12). Measurements: HL 1.45-1.85; HW 0.95-1.30; EL 0.40-0.50; HFL 2.00-2.45; SL 1.95-2.25; PW 0.85-1.15; ML 2.35-2.90. Indices: CI 65-73; HFI 174-216; OI 26-29; SI 121-138.

Similar to minor workers of C. festinatus but with conspicuous decumbent to suberect pilosity along entire length of scape. Also similar to minor workers of Camponotus vafer, but the mandibles are only slightly shiny and are conspicuously finely sculptured, sometimes in the medias with very fine microrugulae. EL 0.71 - 0.83 × OMD; ICD 0.62 - 0.71 × HW.

Pilosity about as described for C. festinatus. The following numbers of long standing (decumbent to fully erect) setae present on indicated structures: scape shaft (longest only, 8-15), ventral margin of profemur (8-10), pronotal disc (16-22), mesonotum (6), propodeum (6-8), petiole (6), disc of gastral tergum 1 (6-8), premarginal band of gastral tergum 1 (8-10).

Queen

Snelling (2006) - (n = 3). Measurements: HL 2.20-2.55; HW 1.85-2.25; EL 0.60-0.70; HFL 2.25-2.85; SL 2.05-2.65; PW 1.80-2.15; ML 3.95-4.85. Indices: CI 84-89; HFI 115-121; OI 28-30; SI 84-93.

Similar to queens of C. festinatus but usually smaller and with notably setose scape (about as in minor / media workers). EL 0.82 - 0.93 × OMD; ICD 0.70 - 0.73 × HW; IOD 3.50 - 4.80 and OOD 3.80 - 4.10 × OD.

Color similar to major worker.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Cover S. P., and R. A. Johnson. 20011. Checklist of Arizona Ants. Downloaded on January 7th at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/AZants-2011%20updatev2.pdf
  • Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
  • Hernandez, F. Varela and G. Castano-Meneses. 2010. Checklist, Biological Notes and Distribution of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphere Reserve, Hidalgo, Mexico. Sociobiology 56(2):397-434
  • Johnson R. Personnal Database. Accessed on February 5th 2014 at http://www.asu.edu/clas/sirgtools/resources.htm
  • Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
  • Snelling R. R. 2006. Taxonomy of the Camponotus festinatus complex in the United States of America (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 83-97
  • Varela-Hernandez, F., M. Rocha-Ortega, R. W. Jones, and W. P. Mackay. 2016. Insectos: Hormigas (Formicidae) del estado de Queretaro, Mexico. Pages 397-404 in W. Jones., and V. Serrano-Cardenas, editors. Historia Natural de Queretaro. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Mexico.
  • Varela-Hernandez, F., M. Rocha-Ortega, W. P. Mackay, and R. W. Jones. 2016. Lista preliminar de las hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) del estado de Queretaro, Mexico. Pages 429-435 in . W. Jones., and V. Serrano-Cardenas, editors. Historia Natural de Queretaro. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Mexico.
  • Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133