Camponotus (Myrmonesites) scalaris Forel

Type location South Africa (Forel, 1901d: 308, soldier, worker & queen) collected in Natal, at 1800m, by Haviland; soldier, worker and queen only known (see Bolton, 1995) .

Major - TL 7.0-8.2 mm; shoulders of pronotum apparently rounded, metanotal suture deep and propodeum dorsum much lower than mesonotum; pilosity greyish-yellow, very sparse except on gaster, thicker and longer on propodeum and petiole; dull, gaster moderately shiny; black, appendages and anterior of head dark red, tarsi brownish
Minor - TL 4.7-6 mm; stepping of propodeum even more pronounced.

Bolton (1995:122) lists the history of the subgenus placement as - "Combination in C. (Myrmosphincta) Forel, 1912i: 92; in C. (Orthonotomyrmex) Emery, 1920b: 258; in C. (Myrmisolepis) Santschi (1921f: 310: in C. (Myrmopiromis) Emery, 1925b: 129". Given the distinctive alitrunk profile, the placement in C. (Myrmepiromis) seems erroneous, as all other members of the subgenus have an unbroken alitrunk profile, the only variation being in the angle between the dorsum and declivity of the propodeum. The combination in C. (Myrmisolepis) makes sense in terms of the alitrunk having an interrupted profile but the four members do not have an incised metanotal suture and the propodeums have an angular prfile with a near flat dorsum and vertical to slightly concave declivity. C. (Orthonotomyrmex) do have an incised metanotal suture but with the exception of the aberrant scabrinodis have a low nodular petiole; scabrinodis has a strange erect node with a convex anterior face, a flat posterior face and the border unique in having several short teeth. Arnold (1922: 722) had it in C. (Myrmosphincta) [Forel, A. 1912i. Formicides Neotropiques. Part 6. 5me sous-famille Camponotinae Forel. Mem. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 20,: 59-92 HNS 4044]. Most of the species listed by Forel, who acknowledged this was not a natural grouping, were from South Asia and Australia, with three or so from the Neotropics/Caribbean but reaumuri and imitator (Forel, 1891b: 209) were from Madagascar.
The subgenera C. (Myrmonesites) and C. (Myrmoptia) were later erected (Emery, 1920b: 243); the latter has the strange species imitator with an elongated narrowly waisted alitrunk.C. reaumuri was placed (Emery, 1920b: 257) in C. (Myrmonesites).

Forel's (1901d) description is at . Arnold (1924: 722) gave an illustrated translation; this is at ;

In comparison with leveillei and reaumuri - the first has a quite narrow petiole profile similar to that of scalaris and the second has the deep metanotal suture and domed propodeum.