The Ants of Africa
Genus Camponotus subgenus Myrmopelta
Genus Camponotus

Subgenus definition - Section 6 Myrmopelta Santschi (1921f: 310) - medium sized, with golden or white hairs on the gaster; alitrunk with distinct, often impressed metanotal suture; mainly western Africa; several feed mainly on termites.

{link to the Hymenoptera Name Server}Santschi (1926a: 16) clarified and restated his definition of the subgenus; this is at {original description}; in the same paper, Santschi also provided a key to the species of Myrmopelta - {original description}. Emery (1925b: 141) had these species in the vividus-group of subgenus Myrmamblys.

Key to species derived from Santschi (1926a) - subspecies not separated -

1 {Camponotus barbarossa gena}Genae and clypeus with distinctive fossae, or large puncturations; metanotal suture variable 2
-- {Camponotus chrysurus gena}Genae and clypeus without distinctive fossae; metanotal suture quite deeply impressed 4
2 Gaster with dense pubescence, often giving a golden layer 3
-- Camponotus arminiusTL major ca 10 mm; gaster with much sparser pubescence, black Mozambique & South Africa - arminius
3 {Camponotus kollbrunneri major}Major TL 8-8.5 mm; propodeum with dorsum longer than the declivity; head less elongated and more triangular in full face view
Ethiopia & Tanzania - kollbrunneri
-- {Camponotus barbarossa}TL major 9-10 mm; metanotal suture weakly impressed; propodeum with dorsum much shorter than declivity Congo Basin - barbarossa
4 Camponotus chrysurus majorTL major ca 8.2 mm; erect hairs rust or golden; gaster sometimes with fur-like layer of pubescence Pan-African tropics - chrysurus s.s.
-- {short description of image}{short description of image}Major TL ca 7.8 mm, minor TL 5.5 mm; varieties with a major TL up to 9 mm; erect hairs whitish; without fur-like layer on gaster; posterior angles of clypeus with a punctiform impression; smoother and shinier than other species Pan-African tropics - vividus
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