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| Carpenter ant | |
|---|---|
| |
| Camponotus herculeanus (Worker) | |
| |
| Camponotus pennsylvanicus (Winged Male) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Camponotini |
| Genus: | Camponotus |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
| Diversity | |
| 1017 species | |
Carpenter ants are large ants (¼ in–1 in) indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees.
All ants in this genus possess an obligate bacterial endosymbiont called Blochmannia. This bacterium has a small genome, and retains genes to biosynthesize essential amino acids and other nutrients. This suggests the bacterium plays a role in ant nutrition. Many Camponotus species are also infected with Wolbachia, another endosymbiont that is widespread across insect groups. The most likely species to be infesting a house is the Black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus.
Species
This list of species is incomplete, see List of Camponotus species for a complete listing of species and subspecies.
- Camponotus atriceps - one of the many kinds of carpenter ants that can bite and release a painful acid.
- Camponotus chromaiodes
- Camponotus consobrinus — sugar ant
- Camponotus crassus Mayr, 1862
- Camponotus ferrugineus (Fab.) — red carpenter ant
- Camponotus gigas
- Camponotus herculeanus
- Camponotus kaura
- Camponotus ligniperda — an important species in Europe
- Camponotus nearcticus (Emery) — smaller carpenter ant
- Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) — black carpenter ant
- Camponotus punctulatus (Mayr) — Tacuru ant
- Camponotus saundersi — Malaysian ant
- Camponotus sericeus
- Camponotus taino
- Camponotus variegatus
External links
- University of Kentucky Extension Fact Sheet
- Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet
- Black Carpenter Ants Diagnostic large format photographs, information
- Harvard University Fact Sheet on Carpenter Ants
- Information On Carpenter Ant Treatment
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