A Personal Guide to various Subgenera of Camponotus!

"Carpenter ants" and "sugar ants": everyone is familiar with these!

These two are the most popular common names for the very widespread and extremely complex genus Camponotus. Carpenter ants are generally known for their great appetite for sugars. However, the genus Camponotus is far too frequently generalised by the media as the annoying pest which causes damage to wooden structures. This is mostly the case for some species from the subgenus Camponotus. Other species of other subgenera are generally harmless and many are not yet well known. I would like to change that.

And yes, you read it right: the subgenus Camponotus, being a subgenus of the same name within the genus itself. But what does that mean exactly? And what even is a subgenus? In this article I will cover a couple subgenera of Camponotus in simple terms. This article may serve as a guide for identification too!

Chapter 1. Taxonomy

Each living organism is categorised into a scheme of numerous classification terms. Ants are categorised into subfamilies, tribes, genera, subgenera sometimes, species groups, species and sometimes even subspecies. Let's take a look at an example below.

Categorising Camponotus barbaricus xanthomelas, which is a subspecies of C. barbaricus native to Northern Africa, will give the following:

Major worker of C. barbaricus for reference.

Family: Formicidae (= Ants)

Subfamily: Formicinae

Tribe: Camponotini

Genus: Camponotus

Subgenus: Tanaemyrmex

Species: Camponotus barbaricus

Subspecies: Camponotus barbaricus xanthomelas

Shortly: C. barbaricus xanthomelas

"At present, more than 1000 species and nearly 500 subspecies belonging to 45 subgenera are described (Bolton, 2012) and it could well be the largest ant genus of all." (Source: Antwiki, about Camponotus)

Disclaimer:

Information in this post is based on my point of view from knowledge I gained from trusted sources being Antwiki and Antweb. This article is made as a basic guide for Camponotus identification with the goal of sharing useful knowledge for the general public. Any individual has the right to disagree with some points mentioned. But I would like to keep things friendly and discuss improvements privately. Thank you for your time. Now let's start!

Major worker of Camponotus vagus

Camponotus (subgenus)

The first subgenus of the genus Camponotus, which is also referred to as Camponotus sensu stricto, is commonly known as the "true carpenter ants". Most species of this subgenus prefer to nest in wood, therefore the common name. A couple of species in USA for example are a major pest, causing big property damage to wooden structures (see image below). Mature colonies are generally big. Read more about North American carpenter ants in our US care guides for Camponotus pennsylvanicus and Camponotus floridanus.

Most species of this subgenus are big in size and generally bulky. Majors and queens have big rounded heads. Queens, e.g. those of C. novaeboracensis in the example below, are pretty chunky and generally monogynous.

Queen of Camponotus novaeboracensis

Nest entrance of Camponotus compressus

Tanaemyrmex

Commonly known as "slim carpenter ants", this subgenus may cover most species from the genus Camponotus. Species of this subgenus nest in soil, sometimes partially in wood. Mature colonies of a lot of species are known to be large in size. Species of this subgenus vary from small to big in size and are slim with long legs and antennae. Majors and queens have big triangular heads. The minors are elongated, often with a small oval or diamond shaped head. Queens, like C. consobrinus in the example below, are slightly less bulky than those of Camponotus sensu stricto. They are generally monogynous. One of the exceptions is C. nicobarensis (see our care guide), which can tolerate a few queens in some localities of its distribution. Many species of Tanaemyrmex are known for being xerothermic (adapted to heat and dryness), and many are known to be quite aggressive.

Queen of Camponotus consobrinus

Social parasites of Camponotus

Despite the genus Camponotus containing more than 1,000 species, currently Camponotus universitatis and Camponotus ruseni (Karaman, 2012) are the only known social parasites of Camponotus that have ever been discovered as of yet. C. universitatis and C. ruseni are inquilines in the nests of Camponotus aethiops. C. universitatis can also live with hosts of Camponotus pilicornis. Both species are a permanent parasite without slavery (Tinaut et al., 1992; Guillem et al., 2014). Both are rarely found. As both species are in the subgenus Tanaemyrmex, I found them interesting to include in this article.

Two images, above and below, show a queen and the workers of C. universitatis for reference. Both are small and dark coloured.

Camponotus universitatis workers in a host colony of Camponotus pilicornis. A few workers are circled for reference.

Worker polymorphism in Camponotus cruentatus

Myrmosericus

Commonly known as "silky carpenter ants", this subgenus is comparable to the subgenus Tanaemyrmex. Species of Myrmosericus nest in soil. Mature colonies are big in size. Ants of this subgenus are a slightly bulkier version of Tanaemyrmex, with rounder heads. Colonies are monogynous. Many species of Myrmosericus are highly aggressive.

Queen and major workers of C. dolendus

Interesting fact:

Species commonly sold as 'Camponotus auriventris' on the market are also of the subgenus Myrmosericus, similarly in appearance to C. parius. However, C. auriventris has in reality never even been sold because of how rare it is to find queens in the wild. This misinformation developed some years ago when Chinese ant stores could not properly identify this species, so I imagine they picked a random species name without looking at the subgenus first. Moreover, this popular species is much smaller and looks very different from the true C. auriventris, which is of the subgenus Myrmosaulus. I will pick up on this topic later.

Queen & worker polymorphism of Camponotus dalmaticus

Myrmentoma

Commonly known as the "cleft-lip carpenter ants", species of Myrmentoma make small nests in soil or wood. Mature colonies are small in size at rarely up to 1000 workers; often they are made up of just a few hundred individuals. Ants of this subgenus are small, slim and polymorphism is less pronounced in comparison to the previously mentioned subgenera. Most queens are slim and under 11 mm in length. Colonies are monogynous to lightly polygynous. Workers of Myrmentoma are not aggressive, they are opportunistic scavengers. A few species of Myrmentoma have adapted mimicry of other ant species to blend in. This allows for even more foraging opportunities on foreign territory.

Mimicry of Camponotus lateralis around Crematogaster scutellaris

Queen and workers of Camponotus mutilarius (common name: 'C. xiangban')

Orthonotomyrmex

Commonly known as "flat-back carpenter ants", this subgenus is characteristic for workers having quite flat tops of their thorax. Species within this subgenus are medium to small in size, with caste dimorphism somewhat marked. The head of majors is large, wider than long. The body is usually covered in a lot of small setae. On some species, such as on C. mutilarius in the image above, the setae are long and well pronounced.

Major workers of Camponotus sericeus doing trophallaxis

Queen and workers of Camponotus singularis

Myrmosaulus

Commonly known as "monster-head carpenter ants", this subgenus truly lives up to its name! The head of majors is large and generally with lateral margins rounded. Species of this subgenus are large to medium sized with pronounced dimorphism: a clear distinction between the minor and major caste, with no medium sized workers in between. The most popular species is C. singularis of course, known for their large red heads and silver body. Another bit less known species of this subgenus is C. suffusus.

All species of Myrmosaulus share a similar body shape and size, which brings us to a callback about C. auriventris. Their latin name refers to their golden coloured body. The true C. auriventris are very similar to C. singularis, so to mix them up with species similar to C. parius (Myrmosericus) should be impossible, but somehow this became possible due to spreading of false information by Chinese sellers. Everyone who sells unknown Myrmosericus species under the false name 'auriventris' should stop. And give the unknown species a new unique name. Otherwise misinformation will keep on spreading beyond the point of no return.

Queen and workers of Camponotus auriventris

Two majors fighting: Camponotus singularis VS Camponotus auriventris

Notice the similarities between C. singularis in silver-red and C. auriventris in golden-black.

Queen of the similar Camponotus holosericeus (common name: 'C. chinensis').

Want to keep Camponotus?

Many Camponotus species are great to keep, from beginner friendly European species to the striking Asian giants. Our care guides help you get started: Camponotus singularis, Camponotus nicobarensis, Camponotus cruentatus, Camponotus ligniperda, Camponotus herculeanus and Camponotus habereri. Also read why Camponotus maculatus subnudus needs its own name.

In our shop you will find, among others, Camponotus barbaricus, Camponotus nicobarensis and Camponotus ligniperda.