The Ants of Africa
Genus Camponotus subgenus Mayria
Genus Camponotus

{link to the Hymenoptera Name Server}Subgenus definition - Mayria Forel (1878: 369)
Gaster extremely long and narrow; petiole narrower than the base of gaster, slightly narrower behind than in front, and strongly low; whole body elongated and narrow; petiole with a narrow node; frontal carinae S-shaped; but set well apart and divergent; apical segment of antennae slightly swollen; otherwise as the genus Camponotus (as the palps, gizzard and the acidopore shows)(my translation).

I note also that in the case of repens (the type species) and lubbocki the photographs show no unusual shape to the propodeum, it being evenly convex both transversely and longitudinally; and, the pronotum has a distinct angular border (shoulder); plus, the scapes and legs are distinctly flattened. From the description (Forel, 1886f)

Type species Mayria madagascarensis (Forel, 1886c), reduced to subgenus by Forel (1894e) and name replaced by Camponotus (Mayria) repens. Bolton (1995) noted that Brown (1973b) had a provisional, unconfirmed, reduction of Mayria to a junior synonym of the subgenus Camponotus. I note, however, that there are no subgenus Camponotus species known from Africa.

A feature of the South African species listed under Mayria in Bolton (1995: 131) and manifest in the descriptions of dewitzii and schoutedeni; and in the illustrations of namacolus and sellidorsatus is that the propodeum has a median longitudinal concavity; it also seems that the scapes and legs are cylindrical. I suspect that the placement of the four southern African species in Mayria is erroneous and have transferred them to Subgenus Myrmosaga Forel as seemingly more appropriate.

Madagascar species for comparative purposes - Camponotus (Mayria) lubbocki Forel & Camponotus (Mayria) repens Forel

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© 2007, 2008, 2011, 2018 - Brian Taylor CBiol FRSB FRES
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