Camponotus (Myrmosaga) mombassae Forel revived
status
Type locality Kenya
(Camponotus mombassae n. sp.,
Forel, 1886f: 180, major worker) M Hildebrandt - no images on
Antweb (September 2014) .
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Forel's (1886) description is at . Images are not available on Antweb (June
2014).
With the specimens from Tanzania, (three from
Mkomazi), below, it is quite clear that mombassae is a genuine
species and that the synonymy under Camponotus
(Tanaemyrmex) acvapimensis, attributed to Wheeler (1922: 948)
by Bolton (1995) was wrong. Wheeler gave no reason for his synonymy nor
was there any indication that he had seen specimens of mombassae.
In his description of Camponotus (Myrmosaga) jeanneli, Santschi
(1914b) noted that was related also to C. mombassae "of which
this may be a race". There are clear differences, however, between jeanneli
and mombassae and this very obviously is not a Tanaemyrmex.
Bolton (1995) also cites Emery (1896d: 372) as
having mombassae as a subspecies of Camponotus
(Tanaemyrmex) kersteni, that too was a synonymic list without
reasons for the status change. There is a similarity between this
and Camponotus klugii but that
appears to lack the striations on the lateral propodeum and the erect
hairs on the mesonotum and the propodeum.
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The photomontage is
of workers collected in Tanzania,
Mkomazi; collector George McGavin (tree 3-56). Note the flattened
dorsum of the pronotum, with the distinct angles, as described by Forel
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