Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) congolensis Emery

Type location Zaïre (Camponotus maculatus F. subsp. congolensis n. subsp., Emery, 1889e: 499, soldier, worker & queen; Santschi, 1910c: 393, queen; Forel, 1913b: 340, male; raised to species Emery, 1920c: 6) collected at Banana, by Busschodts; subspecies weissi (Camponotus maculatus stirps weissi, Santschi, 1911c: 368, soldier & worker; subspecies of congolensis Emery, 1920c: 6) from Congo, Brazzaville, by Weiss (see Bolton, 1995) .

Wheeler (1922) listed as a subspecies of maculatus but listed findings from Liberia, as well as Zaïre (Boma, by Styczinski), Congo and east into "Rhodesia".

Emery's (1899e) description is at . Arnold (1922) provided a translation of Emery's (1899e) decription; this, as a race of maculatus, is at . Santschi's (1911c) description of weissi is at .

Bernard (1952) reported it from Guinea, with very numerous workers, queens and several males, 90% coming from Camp I of Mount Tô (1600 m), others from N'Zo, Kéoulenta and station F 158, at 950 m, under rocks in savanna. He wrote how it had been difficult to identify this large entirely matt black Tanaemyrmex, but on the base of the shape, the antennal segments, the wings of the queens, etc., he decided the specimens were of congolensis, given that the types were deep red-brown, with reddish appendages, but the difference did not merit description of a new variety. He gave the distribution as throughout central and eastern Africa, south to Zimbabwe, where it can be found at altitude; also it had been taken in Ghana and Nigeria (giving no details).

Listed as a savannah species in Ivory Coast by Lévieux & Louis (1975), who noted that it is strictly nocturnal in its habits.

The photomontages are of specimens from Gabon, Pongara National Park, Malaise trap in savannah; 17.v-9.vi.2006; collected by Yves Braet, 2006. Other images can be seen in the folder at -

Major

Media worker

Minima worker