Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo Emery

Type location Eritrea (Camponotus carbo n. sp., Emery, 1877b: 364, illustrated, worker) Sciotel, Beccari - see below
subspecies occidentalis (Camponotus carbo Em. var. occidentalis nov. var., Forel, 1902: 300, major & minor workers) from Ghana, collected at Accra, by R. Buchholz - see below

Major & minor workers known (see Bolton, 1995) .

Emery's (1877b) description is at . Forel's (1902) description of occidentalis is at . Forel's (1911f) description of osiris is at .

In his description of osiris (ssp of Camponotus olivieri), Forel (1911f) noted how carbo and Camponotus (Myrmotrema) puberulus, from Ethiopia, were profoundly matt.

Santschi's Key (1915c) separated the species by its having prismatic tibiae and scapes which are flattened but only moderately expanded from base to apex; a rectangular clypeus; and, brown erect hairs. He separated the type and occidentalis on the latter having more distinct pubescence.

Listed from Zaïre by Wheeler (1922); also given as a savannah species in Ivory Coast by Lévieux & Louis (1975). Forel (1911f) reported carbo ssp puberulus from Zaïre, Congo da Lemba by Mayné; note puberulus, first described by Emery (1897e), type location Somalia, was raised to species by Santschi (1915c; see Bolton, 1995).

In their report of species from Saudi Arabia, with the illustration (right), Collingwood & Agosti (1996), separate it in their key by -
body colour uniformly dark; head with front part with large scattered pits, genae with projecting hairs, whole of head including occiput fringed with short hairs, antennae broadening to apex. In their species notes, they add - clypeus projecting forward, anterior border with broken, bluntly serrated edge, and distinct keel (median carina) which continues posteriorly between the frontal carinae. Head densely sculptured, microreticulate and dull with scattered large punctures towards the genae, across the clypeus and lower frons; also on proximal third of scape which widens from a narrow base to about 1.5 times wider at the apex. Alitrunk dorsum simply arched in lateral profile with distinct mesonotal and metanotal sutures. Petiole a simple scale almost as high as propodeum. Dense sculpturation of head continues over alitrunk, gaster more finely reticulostriate and generally dull. In addition to short erect hairs over the whole head, there are numerous longer hairs on the pronotum, posterior propodeum and dorsum of gaster.

The type description (Emery, 19887b) specifically noted the clypeus is without a median carina and makes no mention of erect hairs on the genae, giving erect hairs as sparse everywhere.  The gaster was given as subtly but densely granulose.  The Saudi Arabian specimen, therefore, seems highly unlikely to have been C. carbo and perhaps is Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) acvapimensis.

The photomontage of a minor worker from the type collection is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905432

The photomontage of the cotype occidentalis major is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0910466

The photomontage of the cotype occidentalis minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0910467

Oxford University Museum specimens

Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Senegal Tambacounda B Ndiaye	Bambaraya 13°06'30"N 12°05'18" W	Bambaraya 06-V-09 St 4 sur arbre 264 m; Soudanian savannah, by hand; on tree, major & minor	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Senegal Tambacounda B Ndiaye	Dindifa 13°09'40" N 12°06'46" W	Dindifa 10-V-09 St 7 P18F [A] 213 m; Soudanian savannah, pitfall traps	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Senegal Tambacounda B Ndiaye	Maka Madina 13°03'42" N 12°07'03" W	Maka Madina 6-V-09 St 3 P5B 186 m; Soudanian savannah, pitfall traps; minor	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Senegal Tambacounda B Ndiaye	Wassa 13°06'30"N 12°05'18" W	Wassa 04-V-09 St 1 P6F Soudanian savannah, pitfall traps major	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Senegal Kolda B Ndiaye	Kolo 12°45'0" N 13°41'60" W	Kolo 7-V-09 souche arbuste 48 m; Soudanian savannah, hand collection rotting wood	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Senegal Koda B Ndiaye	Kolo 12°45'0" N 13°41'60" W	Sabodola 11-VIII-09 Koilo St5 [A] 48 m; Soudanian savannah, from label; minor worker	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2887	18.x.2012 Korobourou 09°22'13'' N 02°40'16'' E	On Mangifera indica Quadrat 6, tube 1, variété: Ifac Arboreal	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2979	7.xi.2012 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Running on ground Major worker	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2962	8.xi.2012 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	At base of Anacardium occidentale To 15 Ground nesting Minor workers	3
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2964	8.xi.2012 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Anacardium occidentale To 15; arboreal nesting in hollow branch; antagonist of Oecophylla longinoda	3
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2985	7.xi.2012 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	On ground Minor	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 2986	6.xi.2012 Boko 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Foraging on Entadda africana Media	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3063.1	27.iii.2013 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Mangifera indica orchard prey of Oecophylla longinoda 1600-1700 h major	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3075.1	13.iii.2013 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Mangifera indica orchard prey of Oecophylla longinoda 1600-1700 h media	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3089.1	27.xii.2012 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Anacardium occidentale hand collected major & minor	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3092.1	10.xi.2011 Tanquiéta 10°40'05'' N 01°18'14'' E	Acacia hockii beating 234 m asl	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) carbo B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3093.2	10.xi.2011 Tanquiéta 10°40'05'' N 01°18'14'' E	Acacia sieberiana beating 234 m asl	2

The photomontage is of a major worker from Senegal, Sabodala, Kolo; collector B Ndiaye (7.v.2009, st 5).

The photomontage is of a minor worker from Senegal, Sabodala, Kolo; collector B Ndiaye (7.v.2009, st 5).

The photomontage is of a major worker from Benin, Koro; collector J-F Vayessieres (RVA 2979).

The photomontage is of a media worker from Benin, Koro; collector J-F Vayessieres (RVA 2964).