Camponotus kiesenwetteri (Roger, 1859)

Salata, Sebastian, Loss, Ana Carolina, Karaman, Celal, Kiran, Kadri & Borowiec, Lech, 2019, Review of the Camponotus kiesenwetteri group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Aegean with the description of a new species, ZooKeys 899, pp. 85-107 : 85

Camponotus kiesenwetteri (Roger, 1859) Figs 13 , 14 , 29 , 30

Formica (Hypoclinea) kiesenwetteri Roger, 1859: 241 (w.). Syntype workers, Greece (ZMHB) [Syntype workers images of Formica (Hypoclinea) kiesenwetteri examined, AntWeb, FOCOL2486 and FOCOL2487, photos by Christiana Klingenberg, available on https://www.AntWeb.org].

= Camponotus kiesenwetteri var. cypria Emery, 1920: 26 (w.) syn. nov. Syntype worker, Cyprus (MSNG) [Syntype worker images of Camponotus kiesenwetteri cyprius examined, AntWeb, CASENT0905397, photos by Zach Lieberman, available on https://www.AntWeb.org]

Diagnosis.

Head, mesosoma, and gaster uniformly black; metanotal groove present, shallow; propodeum with distinct dentate protrusions; body densely punctate, appears dull; base of scape with extension; whole body bears long, thick, pale, dense and erect setae, and short appressed microsetae; petiolar scale thick.

Distribution.

Greece: Attica, North Aegean Islands, South Aegean Islands (Cyclades, Dodecanese), Central Greece, Crete (Chania, Heraklion, Lasithi, Rethymno), Ionian Islands, Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Peloponnese; Cyprus; Turkey: Balıkesir, İzmir and Muğla.

Comments.

The species can be easily separated by the following combination of characters: strongly sculptured body, mesosoma with metanotal groove and posterior margin of propodeum with distinct dentate protrusions, and antennal scape with distinct basal extension. Camponotus nitidescens and C. schulzi both differ in having a partly shiny body, and C. boghossiani differs in having a propodeum without apical protrusions and an antennal scape without basal extension.

Camponotus kiesenwetteri cyprius was described by Emery (1920) based on four specimens collected from Cyprus (no data indicating a precise location). The subspecies was separated from the typical form based on the following characters: smaller body, wider mesosoma, indistinct metanotal groove, thicker petiole and shape of propodeal protrusions. The investigated type specimen agrees with the mentioned description but some of those characters overlap with intraspecific variability observed within Camponotus kiesenwetteri . Thus, we consider this species a junior synonym of C. kiesenwetteri . Nonetheless, Cyprus did not appear as a suitable region in niche modelling. Minimum temperature of coldest month was the variable that contributed most to the distribution model.

Figures

Figures 11 - 16. Workers in lateral view 11, 13, 15 major 12, 14, 16 minor: 11, 12 Camponotus boghossiani Forel 13, 14 C. kiesenwetteri (Roger) 15, 16 C. nitidescens Forel.

Figures 23 - 30. Habitat suitability and distribution 23, 24 Camponotus aegaeus 25, 26 Camponotus aktaci 27, 28 Camponotus boghossiani 29, 30 Camponotus kiesenwettri.