Genus Camponotus subgenus Paramyrmamblys
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The Ants of Africa Genus Camponotus subgenus Paramyrmamblys |
| Genus Camponotus |
Paramyrmamblys - Santschi (1926c: 604)
Subgenus defintion - apparently major with truncated anterior to head; clypeus usually trapezoidal or convex, variably carinate, with anterior border arcuate, rarely with a median impression; alitrunk narrowed posteriolry and witha continuous profile, arcuate or straight, the propodeum not saddle-shaped; declivity of propodeum abrupt.
It seems that members (15 species most from eastern/southern Africa)of this subgenus are the African equivalent of the otherwise pantropical subgenus Colobopsis, whose soldiers are known to use the truncated head to block the entrance holes to the nests, always in the wood of trees - in hollow stems, galls or spines {described in Arnold, 1922: 613). Colobopsis usually have an excised metanotal groove. In Bolton (1995), two species C. (Param.) amamianus and C. (Param.) kiusiuensis are listed with type locations in Japan. It seems unlikely that these could be genuinely related to the African subgenus.
Santschi's (1926c) subgenus definition is at
Note - Emery (1925b: ) had the species in his simus-group of
subgenus Myrmamblys.
Key to species
| ¤ | Queen only known, close to ferreri | Ivory Coast - robertae |
| ¤ | Queen only known | Kenya - viri |
| 1 | Major with elongated rectangular head | 2 |
| -- |  Major
with HW ca HL; trapezoidal in profile |
6 |
| 2 | Major head with straight sides | 3 |
| -- | Major head with elongated but arcuate sides | 4 |
| 3 |  Major
TL 5.8-6.4 mm; anterior margin of clypeus entire; very fine whitish
pubescence on body and legs; black appendages varying brown |
Zimbabwe - aequitas |
| -- |  Major
- TL 6.5 mm, HL 2.3 mm HW 1.6 mm; anterior margin of clypeus with median
notch and excavation of surface; overall dull; blackish, gaster darkest,
appendages dull red |
Zaïre - prosulcatus |
| 4 | TL 6.8-7.0 mm; head only one-fifth longer than wide; head piceous, alitrunk and gaster dark brown to black; | South Africa - brookei |
| -- | Head about 50% longer than wide | 5 |
| 5 | 
TL 5 mm; clypeus without a carina; alitrunk bordered; head wider and
alitrunk more arcuate; shiny; varying from pitch brown to brownish
yellow, head always darker and gaster clearer, appendages lighter and
gaster segments with a diffuse pale posterior border |
Tanzania - limbiventris |
| -- |  TL
4.8-5 mm; clypeus with posterior longitudinal carina; alitrunk not
bordered; clear reddish brown, appendages reddish-yellow |
Zaïre - vulpus |
| -- | Queen with elongated head; minor TL 5.5 mm, HL twice HW; petiole conical widest at the base subacuminate at the summit; shiny feebly shagreened; head and gaster brown, all remainder yellowish red. | Cameroun - ferreri |
- |
Head with width and length about equal, in profile with steeply sloping anterior dorsum | - |
| 6 | With elongated low alitrunk profile and propodeum with vertical concave declivity | 7 |
| -- | Wtth relatively short arcuate alitrunk profile | 9 |
| 7 |  With
very long alitrunk and high petiole scale; TL 4.5-6.5 mm; HL 1.6 mm, HW
1.3 mm; clypeus not carinate, anterior margin slightly arcuate with
shallow median impression; generally shiny, with feeble reticulation;
brownish-black, appendages reddish, gaster segmens with weak yellowish
posterior borders |
Kenya - orinobates |
| -- | Alitrunk moderately long and petiole scale much lower | 8 |
| 8 | TL 6.5-11 mm; Worker elongated, alitrunk low, head narrowed behind; clypeus with median carina amd rounded anterior border; petiole scale thick - likely senior synonym of hapi | Zaïre - lilianae |
| -- |  may
be junior synonym of lilianae; TL 5.8-7.4 mm; shiny; head black,
rest of body dark brown, appendages paler |
southern Sudan forests - hapi |
| 9 | Alitrunk
with weak but distinct bordering on pro- and mesonotum |
South Africa - ostiarius |
| -- | Alitrunk without bordering | 10 |
| 10 | Propodeum declivity marginate; major TL 7 mm; head and alitrunk densely finely reticulo-punctate but head also with coarse rugae, these serpiginous and elongated terminally; erect pilosity coarse, obtuse, white, marginally on propodeum, petiole scale and gaster segments, black but anterior two-thirds of head ochreous, appendages brownish, posterior of gaster segments narrowly testaceous | South Africa - bifossus |
| -- | Propodeal declivity not marginate | 11 |
| 11 | Petiole scale thin, convex anteriorly and near flat behind; TL 5-7 mm; major HL slightly more than HW; clypeus and genae with large oblong piligerous punctures; gaster with fine transverse rugulae; piceous shining, extremities fusco-ferruginous | South Africa - bertolonii |
| -- | Petiole scale thicker with convex faces | 12 |
| 12 |  Metanotal
suture weak disappearing on sides of alitrunk; TL 4.3-7 mm; |
South Africa - orites |
| -- | Metanotal suture descending full depth of alitrunk; | 13 |
| 13 |  TL
5-6.5 mm; HL 1.8 mm, HW 1.6 mm; pronotum shoulders rounded; shiny with
fine superficial reticulation on mesonotum and propodeum; very dark
brown, head almost black, appendages brown to rust, with hind
trochanters and hind femora basally yellow |
Zaïre - simus |
| -- | TL (minor) 4.4 mm; head about one-fifth longer than wide, smaller than others; converging anterior to eyes (much more than in vulpus and limbiventris alitrunk more evenly convex than vulpus | Ethiopia - moderatus |
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Genus page | © 2007, 2008 - Brian Taylor CBiol
FIBiol FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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