Review of the Camponotus aureopilus species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), including a second Camponotus with a metapleural gland.
Author
Shattuck, S. O.
text
Zootaxa
2005
903
1
20
http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/reference-full.html?id=20438
journal article
20438
A9753CF6-9186-4039-8401-8533855C9158
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.
FIGURES
1-3.
C. aureopilus Viehmeyer
, minor worker. Fig. 1, front of head; Fig. 2, dorsum of mesosoma; Fig. 3, side of body.
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
.