Camponotus (Myrmosericus) cinctellus (Gerstäcker)
Type location Mozambique (Formica cinctella, Gerstäcker,
1859: 262, worker, queen & male); subspecies belliceps
(Santschi, 1939c: 10, worker) from Zaïre; junior
synonym venustus (Mayr, 1867c: 441, worker) type locality
unknown - on board ship at Gibraltar by R Frauenfeld, unavailable
names for subspecies (?) vertex (as a new variety of C.
(Myrmosericus) rufoglaucus strain cinctellus variety
vertex, Santschi, 1935a: 280, worker & queen) from
Zaïre collected at Luluaborg, 26.i.1912, by
P.Callewaert; rufigenis (Forel, 1913b: 341, worker) from
Zaïre, and ustithorax (Forel, 1910c: 271,
worker; Viehmeyer, 1922, queen & male, from Tanzania)
from Ethiopia; worker, queen and male. Revived to full
species status by Santschi (1939c; see Bolton, 1995)
 .
Gerstäcker's (1859) description is at
 .
Arnold (1924: 689) provided a translation of Gerstäcker's
(1858) description; this is at
 .
Mayr's (1867c) description of venustus is at
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Forel's (1910c) description of ustithorax is at
 .
Forel's (1913b) description of rufigenis is at
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Arnold (1924) gave a translation of ustithorax, this is at
 .
Viehmeyer's (1922) description of the ustithorax sexual
forms is at
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Santschi's (1939c) description of belliceps is at
 .
Wheeler (1922) noted the finding of five workers from Zambi (J.
Bequaert), as Camponotus (Myrmosericus) rufoglaucus
(Jerdon) subspecies cinctellus (Gerstaecker). Earlier
recorded at St. Gabriel, by Kohl, "on fruits at nectar"
(Forel, 1915c). Forel (1911d) described its being found near Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, by Prell as, aggressive and in a nest in a dome of
earth.
Wheeler also had Camponotus (Myrmosericus) rufoglaucus
subspecies cinctellus variety rufigenis Forel,
with workers from Faradje, Garamba, Stanleyville, Medje, Poko and
Akenge; plus a female from Niangara (Lang and Chapin). Six of the
workers from Garamba were from the stomach of a Bufo regularis
and a single worker from Akenge was from the stomach of a B.
funereus. The specimens from Faradje were taken while they
were attending; plant-lice on young orange trees. Bolton (1995)
noted the name rufigenis as "unavailable" but
without any other attribution.
Santschi (1935a) described vertex as differing from the
type and other varieties as follows - variety intermediate between
cinctellus and ustithorax. Major worker coloured
as ustithorax but with a brown spot variably extended on
the vertex and missing in ustithorax. Mandibles, base of
scape, dorsum of thorax and tarsi vivid red; tibiae reddish.
Posterior border of head less concave, scape a little more
slender. Minor workers overall darker. Also with ustithorax
the anterior of the head is red up to the level of the eyes; with
vertex the red continues to the anterior border of the
cheeks and clypeus. Mandibles, condylar bulb and tarsi reddish.
Gaster with strong, golden brown pubescence, yellow on segment
borders. With rufigenis the anterior of the head is dull
yellow, as are the tibiae and the femora of the front legs. He
also described a queen, noting the TL 14 mm, HL 2.8-2.9, HW 2.6.
Given the clear recognition by Santschi (1935a) of these
varieties as being of cinctellus, and his later revival of
the full species status (Santschi, 1939c), I see sound reason to
restore vertex, rufigenis and ustithorax
to subspecies; of course, re-examination of the actual specimens
might lead to synonymization.
The collector, P. Callewaert, described how the vertex
ants came from a double nest of termites and ants, constructed
against the trunk of a tree. The sides of the nest were occupied
by the ants, the rest by the termites. When the nest was opened,
other small reddish ants came out but it was not possible to say
if these ants had a separate nest. they were carrying their larvae
and did not concern themselves with the termites. Santschi added a
footnote that the smaller ants were
Monomorium
(Paraholcomyrmex) epinotale Santschi), and, as with C.
cinctellus, this could indicate a symbiosis with the termites.
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The photomontage is of a major specimen from Sudan,
Khartoum, collector Awatif Omer, 2006, series 2. Other images can
be seen in the folder at
Photomontage
of specimens, media and minor workers, from Sudan,
Khartoum, collector Awatif Omer, 2006, Sudan 25_01 & 25_02.
The photomontage is of specimens from Rwanda, coffee plantation,
collector Gabriel Bizimungu (2005).