Camponotus aureopilus Viehmeyer

Shattuck, S. O., 2005, Review of the Camponotus aureopilus species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), including a second Camponotus with a metapleural gland., Zootaxa 903, pp. 1-20 : 4-6

Camponotus aureopilus Viehmeyer (Figs 1-3)

Camponotus (Myrmogonia) aureopilus Viehmeyer 1914: 531. Worker syntypes from Rawlinson Mountains , Papua New Guinea (not examined).

Camponotus (Myrmophyma) aureopilus var. velutina Stitz 1938: 120. Two worker syntypes from north-eastern Papua New Guinea (specific locality unknown) (not examined). New synonym.

Diagnosis (minor worker). Enlarged hairs absent from pronotum (but thin erect hairs present); enlarged hairs on gaster limited to a small central cluster.

Description (minor worker). Posterolateral margin of head angular, the dorsal surface weakly convex, the lateral surface weakly concave, a ridge running from just below the eye to the posterolateral corner. Petiolar node tapering dorsally into a blunt angle. Individual erect hairs scattered on dorsum of mesosoma, petiole and gaster; enlarged yellow hairs present on central region of the gastral dorsum; pubescence abundant on entire body. Colour black, gaster dark red-black, legs dark red.

Measurements. Minor worker (n=2): CI 92-94, HL 1.80-2.21mm, HW 1.65- 2.08mm, ML 2.78-3.19mm, MTL 2.06-2.25mm, SI 120-139, SL 2.29-2.50mm.

Material Examined. Papua New Guinea: Mt. Lina, Cyclops Mountains, 3,500ft. (Cheesman,L.E.) ( LACM).

Comments. Emery (1925) transferred this species from the subgenus Myrmogonia (where it was originally placed) to Myrmophyma , with Santschi (1928) subsequently transferring it to Thlipsepinotus . Unfortunately the subgeneric classification within Camponotus is currently rather confused and subgeneric placements are difficult to assess rigorously. The queen was described by Stitz (1938), but little else is known about this species.

Stitz (1938) described velutinus as a subspecies of aureopilus , citing differences in the shape of the petiolar node to justify his new taxon. However, even with the limited material currently available this difference is slight and there appears to be little justification for recognising this taxon as distinct from aureopilus . Because of this velutinus is here treated as a synonym of aureopilus .