Camponotus singularis: 10 Facts About the Red-Headed Giant Carpenter Ant

Nov 2

3 min read

Camponotus singularis is one of the most striking carpenter ants in the world. With its red head, silvery body and giant majors, it is a favourite among ant keepers. But there is more to this ant than its looks. Here are 10 facts about Camponotus singularis.

1. It belongs to the "monster-head" carpenter ants

Camponotus singularis belongs to the subgenus Myrmosaulus, a group of carpenter ants nicknamed "monster-head carpenter ants" because of the huge heads of their majors. Read more about the different groups in our guide to the subgenera of Camponotus.

2. Red head, silver body

Camponotus singularis worker with a red head and a silvery dark body on a leaf — A worker with its red head and silvery body.

The workers have a bright red head and a dark body covered in fine silvery hairs. In the light, the body seems to shine, which makes this one of the most beautiful carpenter ants you can find.

3. There are two kinds of workers, and nothing in between

Many carpenter ants have workers in all kinds of sizes. Camponotus singularis does not. A study from 2016 showed that it is truly dimorphic: a colony has minor workers and majors, with no medium-sized workers in between.

4. The majors have bigger heads than the queen

Camponotus singularis major with a huge red head eating a cockroach — A major with its huge red head.

The majors are almost as big as the queen. Their bodies are a little shorter, but their heads are actually wider than hers. They have huge, heart-shaped heads full of muscle.

5. Short legs and small eyes

Compared with the minors, the majors have short legs and antennae and small eyes, and many have tiny scars where a queen would have extra simple eyes. The researchers think the shorter legs and antennae could protect them from injury when they defend the nest, although that still needs to be studied.

6. Majors are rare

In the collections studied by researchers, majors were much rarer than minors. A colony relies on a large group of small workers for most of the work, and keeps only a small number of giants.

7. It lives across a huge area

Camponotus singularis is found from India and Nepal through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to southern China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Borneo and the Philippines. Few large carpenter ants have such a wide range.

8. It has had many names

The species was first described in 1858 as Formica singularis, from ants collected on Java. In the years after, it was placed in different groups and was even seen as the same species as other carpenter ants for a while, before being recognised again as a species of its own.

9. The ants of Borneo may be a different species

On Borneo, Camponotus singularis looks a little different, with differences in colour, hairs and the length of the legs. Researchers think this island form, known as rufomaculatus, might be a separate species.

10. Zombie fungi hunt it

Camponotus singularis is a host of two zombie fungi of the genus Ophiocordyceps. These fungi infect workers outside the nest and eventually grow out of their bodies to spread their spores.

Keeping Camponotus singularis

Want to keep this beautiful ant yourself? Read our Camponotus singularis care guide, compare it in Camponotus singularis vs Camponotus nicobarensis, or have a look at our Camponotus singularis colonies.

Sources

AntWiki. Camponotus singularis.
Laciny, A., Zettel, H. and Druzhinina, I., 2016. Workers, soldiers, and gynes: morphometric characterization and description of the female castes of Camponotus singularis. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift.

Photos: King Maf and Jake Martin.