Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus Forel

Type location Senegal (Camponotus foraminosus n. sp., Forel, 1879a: 87, major & minor workers) collected at Cape Verde, by Sauss - no images on Antweb (September 2014)
subspecies
aldabrensis (Camponotus foraminosus For. r. aldabrensis nov. stirps, Forel, 1897c: 203, major & minor workers) Aldabra Is, Voeltzkow - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0101126
chrysogaster (Camponotus foraminosus For. sottosp. chrysogaster n. subsp., Emery, 1895a: 182, major; Forel, 1907g: 90, queen & male) Ethiopia, Arussi Galla - see bottom
honorus (Camponotus carbo Em. subsp. honorus n. subsp., Forel, 1910c: 268, minor worker; stirps of foraminosus Santschi, 1915c: 268) Ethiopia, West, Ilg - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0910479
cuitensis (Camponotus foraminosus Forel r. Cuitensis n. stirps, Forel, 1901d: 309, minor worker) Angola, Cubango-Cuito - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0910501 but note the specimen appears quite bright reddish-orange and, so, may be a distinct species
deductus (Camponotus foraminosus Forel var deducta n. var., Santschi, 1915c: 268, in key, minor worker, not in Wheeler, 1922) Nigeria, Calabar - see http://www.antweb.org/specimenImages.do?code=casent0911835
dorsalis (Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus For. stirps dorsalis n. st., Santschi, 1926b: 265, major & minor workers and queen) Zaïre (St Gabriel, Kohl) - see below as "Typus"; & Tanzania (Turiani, A Loveridge)
flavus (Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus For. r. flavus n. stirps, Stitz, 1916: 397, illustrated, major & minor workers) Congo, collected at Fort Crampel, by Schubotz - no images on Antweb (September 2014)
(see Bolton, 1995) .

Forel's (1879a) description of the type major is at . Forel's (1886f) notes on the major are at . Forel's (1913e) description of the queen is at . Forel's (1897c) description of aldabrensis is at . Emery's (1895a) description of chrysogaster is at . Forel's (1901d) description of cuitensis is at . Forel's (1910c) description of honorus is at . Forel's (1910c) reviewed the then knowledge, this is at . Santschi's (1915c) key is at is at . Stitz's (1916) illustrated description of flavus is at . Santschi's (1926b) description of dorsalis is at .

The original description by Forel (1879a) is -
MAJOR - TL 7.8 mm; head and sculpturation similar to Camp. grandidieri, described from Madagascar, but the body shape and pubescence reveal differences. Head more or less triangular, with rounded sides. Mandibles short, narrow, with sparse hairs, 6 teeth; coarsely puncturate and finely striate between the punctures. Clypeus almost rectangular (square), without a carina, almost without an anterior lobe; anterior border scalloped laterally, straight medianly. Thorax quite low, enlarged anteriorly, strongly compressed posteriorly (like that of mina, type location Mexico, but shorter and less depressed). Dorsum of thorax shallowly convex and rounded transversely but near straight longitudinally to the propodeum, which is very narrow, of the same length as the declivity; the transition being an obtuse rounded angle; declivity near flat. Thorax sutures distinct but not impressed. Petiole scale low (as in mina). Gaster small, a short wide oval. Legs and antennae of medium length.
Matt or slightly silky; thorax, gastral dorsum, head, and anterior of femora puncturate like the head of a thimble; this puncturation very finely packed. Antenna, legs and genae finely or fairly finely reticulate. Petiole scale, declivity of propodeum and gaster dorsum transversely reticulo-rugose. Head richly sprinkled with large piligerous points; on the genae these points become large rounded hair-pits, each giving rise to a small hair (as in grandidieri), overall giving the head a scabrous appearance.
Whole of body covered with a grey-yellow pubescence, of moderate length; sparse on the head, lower legs, scapes and ventral gaster; more abundant on the thorax, femora and lateral gaster; very dense and slightly golden on dorsum of gaster hiding the chitinous cuticle and looking like a fur coat. Erect hairs are sparse on the whole body, and absent on the tibiae and scapes.
Colour black; a narrow yellowish border to the gastral segments; appendages and anterior border of head mostly brown-red; ends of legs and antennae and the edges of the thorax black-brown and brown-black.
Single specimen from Senegal, Cap Vert, near Dakar, collected by Sauss. [Saussure, who either collected it or had it in his personal collection].

Collingwood (1985) refers to it as having large shallow punctures on the head, as does Camponotus ilgii, but the latter also has a deep metanotal groove.

Wheeler (1922) listed findings from throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with West African records from Nigeria (Old Calabar, by Bates), Cameroun (Conradt). He wrote, however, that it is an extremely variable species, the Zaïre specimens, according to Emery, having more abundant and more golden pubescence than Congo specimens sent by Forel as corresponding to the type. Zaïre collections included nests in hollow twigs and cavities of branches.

Nests in dead wood on living trees. It often nests in old dry pods on cocoa trees (Forel, 1915c, from St. Gabriel, by Kohl). Apparently wholly tends aphids, but does not build tents. Also forages widely across the ground and on many plants; including native trees and herbaceous vegetation, kola and plantain.

In Ghana, speculatively, this is the species reported as Camponotus foraminosus Forel, by Majer (1975) who collected workers on cocoa by pkd at Kade. Room (1971) collected it from one cocoa canopy sample, and also listed Camponotus near foraminosus from six cocoa canopy samples; he found it to be positively associated with Crematogaster africana.

The distribution comment by Bernard (1952), reporting its finding in Guinea, Mt. Nimba savanna areas of Ziéla and Kéoulenta, was that it is a common insect of the lowland plain.

Note - in their report on species from Saudi Arabia, Collingwood & Agosti (1996) separated it from carbo in their key as body colour uniformly dark; head with front part with large scattered pits, genae with projecting hairs, head with projecting hairs restricted to anterior of eyes, antennae not broadening to apex. That differs from the specimen shown below which I feel matches the type description

The photomontage of a major worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0910477
Note: Although this bears a "Typus" label it is not from the original type collection but matches the description in Santschi (1926B) of "dorsalis". Santschi described this as black and the usual Antweb magenta tint has to be compensated for although the fresh workers I show below do have reddish areas on the head, etc.

The photomontage of a minor worker is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0910478
The comment above applies to this specimen.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Liabala PF 9	2.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°31’06" N 08°35’34" E	Pitfall trap Secondary forest 473 m asl minor	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Liabala PF 17	2.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°31’06" N 08°35’34" E	Pitfall trap Secondary forest 473 m asl	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Liabala PF 18	2.iv.2013 Nimba County 07°31’06" N 08°35’34" E	Pitfall trap Secondary forest 473 m asl	3
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Benin J-F Vayssieres RVA 3053.1	20.iii.2013 Koro 09°22'21'' N 02°40'13'' E	Mangifera indica orchard prey of Oecophylla longinoda 1500-1600 h minor	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Benin S Tchibozo	29.i.2007 06°55’03.7 N 02°24’44.6 E	Forêt de Gnanhouizoumè Forêt fourmis (forest ants)	3
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Benin S Tchibozo	28.ii.2007 06°55’32.8 N 02°29’13 E	Forêt de Gbèvozoumè Lisière fourmis (forest edge/ border ants)	3
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Camponotus sp15	17.vii.2007 Awae II 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E	Quadrat in fallow	2
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Camponotus sp11	18.v.2007 Matomb 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E	Quadrat in fallow	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus B Taylor det.	Congo E Zassi 12-t-2-1	8-9.xi.2007 Lésio-Louna 03°16'21.7" S 015°28'12.5" E	Gallery Forest; 24h pitfall trap	2

The photomontage is of a major worker from Cameroun, Awae II; 17.vii.2007; Collector A Fotso Kuate. Matching the Stitz (1916) illustrations.

The photomontage is of a minor worker from Cameroun, Awae II, as above.

The photomontage is of a major worker from Congo, Réserve de Lésio-Louna; collected by Eric Zassi (nsp 7).

The photomontage is of a media worker from Congo, Réserve de Lésio-Louna; collector Eric Zassi. Note - Forel (1910c) described a "media" of honorus, although he had never described a minor of the type. The Stitz illustration of flavus suggests the minor is quite distinct from the major.

The photomontage of a major worker from the type collection of chrysogaster is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0905422
Note: Although Emery (1895a: 182) gave this as a "major", the size and head compared with the majors above suggest that it is a media worker.

Oxford University Museum specimens - possibly the honorus form

Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus honorus B Taylor det.	Central African Republic P Annoyer Camp 5-01	17.ii.2005 Dzanga-Sangha 02°53’25.9" N 16°10’26.4" E	seen 1300 to 1800; 409m asl	1
Camponotus (Myrmotrema) foraminosus honorus B Taylor det.	Liberia E Poirier Yekepa SLAM 4	29.iii.2013 Nimba County 07°33’38" N 08°32’33" E	SLAM trap Secondary forest 473 m asl	1

The photomontage is of a minor from the Central Africa Republic, Dzanga-Sangha NP, Camp 3; collector Philippe Annoyer.

The photomontage is of a minor from the Liberia; collector E Poirier (Yekepa SLAM 4).