| Camponotus senex | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Genus: | Camponotus |
| Subgenus: | Myrmobrachys |
| Species: | C. senex |
| Binomial name | |
| Camponotus senex Smith, 1858 | |
Camponotus senex is a fairly common species of weaver ant from the New World. They are opportunistic cavity-dwellers, semi-nomadic carpenter ants which are found around grasslands in Central and South America. It is taxonomically believed to be a complex of cryptic species and was previously considered synonymous with Camponotus textor which once included a distantly-related species of weaver-ant.
Ecology
C. senex are medium-sized and agile, and can be frequently found inside the abandoned outer crusts of termite nests. They can inflict a respectable bite when handled carelessly. They are, however, not aggressive, and their nests tend to be sparse and mainly composed of satellite, queenless temporary nests under stones or bark. Very little is known about their biology as C. senex remains a poorly studied species, in spite of being so common.
The development of C. senex undergoes four larval instars. The larvae are typical Camponotus larvae: plump and hairy larvae that will spin a cocoon. They contain anchor-tipped dorsal hairs when mature, which may signals for a morphological adaptation to be hung inside the ant nest. They are the only ants apart from fire ants to present solenopsin alkaloids in their venom.
References
- Morini, Maria Santina de Castro; Silva, Otávio Guilherme Morais da; Souza-Campana, Débora Rodrigues de; Silva, Rogério R.; Fernandes, Tae Tanaami; Morini, Maria Santina de Castro; Silva, Otávio Guilherme Morais da; Souza-Campana, Débora Rodrigues de; Silva, Rogério R. (2019). "Winged ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) presence in twigs on the leaf litter of Atlantic Forest". Biota Neotropica. 19 (3). doi:10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2018-0694. ISSN 1676-0603.
- ^ Fernandes, Tae Tanaami; Silva, Rogério Rosa da; Souza, Débora Rodrigues de; Araújo, Natália; Morini, Maria Santina de Castro (2012). "Undecomposed Twigs in the Leaf Litter as Nest-Building Resources for Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Areas of the Atlantic Forest in the Southeastern Region of Brazil". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 2012: 1–8. doi:10.1155/2012/896473. ISSN 0033-2615.
- ^ Fox, Eduardo Gonçalves Paterson; Solis, Daniel Russ; Lazoski, Cristiano; Mackay, William (2017-08-01). "Weaving through a cryptic species: Comparing the Neotropical ants Camponotus senex and Camponotus textor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Micron. 99: 56–66. doi:10.1016/j.micron.2017.03.016. hdl:11449/162839. ISSN 0968-4328.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Camponotus senex | |