Camponotus substitutus Emery 1894

Paraguay: Alto Paraguay, Boquerón, Central, Concepción, Ñeembucú, Paraguarí, Pte. Hayes

Extant: 2 valid subspecies

Camponotus landolti r. substitutus Forel, 1899h PDF: 136 (s.w.) BRAZIL. Neotropic. AntCat AntWiki HOL

Taxonomic history

[First available use of Camponotus extensus melanoticus substitutus Emery, 1894; unavailable (infrasubspecific) name.].Combination in Camponotus (Myrmoturba): Bruch, 1914 PDF: 229.Combination in Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex): Emery, 1925d PDF: 82.As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1896j PDF: 371 (in list); Forel, 1908a PDF: 62.[Note: Camponotus substitutus appears twice in Forel, 1908a PDF: 62, first (entry no. 4) as a species, second (entry no.7) as an infrasubspecific name.].Subspecies of Camponotus landolti: Forel, 1899h PDF: 136.Subspecies of Camponotus melanoticus: Emery, 1906c PDF: 188; Forel, 1907h PDF: 10; Forel, 1911e PDF: 310; Forel, 1914e: 13; Bruch, 1914 PDF: 229; Mann, 1916 PDF: 476; Santschi, 1922e PDF: 262.Subspecies of Camponotus maculatus: Santschi, 1916e PDF: 396; Santschi, 1919f PDF: 56.Subspecies of Camponotus fumidus: Santschi, 1922d PDF: 101.Status as species: Forel, 1902b PDF: 171; Forel, 1908a PDF: 62; Emery, 1925d PDF: 82; Borgmeier, 1927c PDF: 146; Santschi, 1929d PDF: 313; Kusnezov, 1952f PDF: 225; Kusnezov, 1953c PDF: 339; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 72; Zolessi et al., 1988: 7; Brandão, 1991 PDF: 335; Bolton, 1995b: 125; Wild, 2007b PDF: 29, 49; Mackay & Delsinne, 2009 PDF: 497 (in key); Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012 PDF: 256; Mackay & MacKay, 2019 PDF: 769.Senior synonym of Camponotus melanoticus multipilis: Wild, 2007b PDF: 49.

Alto Paraguay, Boquerón , Central, Concepción , Ñeembucú , Paraguarí (?), Pte. Hayes, “Paraguay” (s. loc.) (ALWC, IFML, INBP, MCSN, MHNG, NHMW). Literature records: Concepción , “Paraguay ” (s. loc.) (Emery 1894f, Emery 1896b, Forel 1907d [as “ multipilis ”]).

Camponotus melanoticus var. substitutus Emery 1894: 3. [w syntypes examined, MCSN ; Salinus , S. Beni , Bolivia ( Balzan )] .

Camponotus landolti r. substitutus Emery . Forel 1899c: 136.

Camponotus melanoticus var. multipilis Forel 1907d: 10. NEW SYNONYMY . [w, m, q syntypes examined, MHNG ; Estancia Postillón , Puerto Max a. Rio Paraguay , N. Paraguay ( Louis Des Arts jr. )]

Camponotus (Myrmoturba) melanoticus var. multipilis Forel . Bruch 1914: 229.

Camponotus (Myrmoturba) melanoticus subsp. substitutus Emery . Bruch 1914: 229.

Camponotus maculatus st. substitutus Emery . Santschi 1916: 396.

Camponotus fumidus st. substitutus Emery . Santschi 1922b: 101.

Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) substitutus Emery . Emery 1925: 82.

Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) substitutus var. multipilis Forel . Emery 1925: 83.

Camponotus substitutus is among the more commonly encountered Camponotus in open and disturbed habitats, particularly in the chaco and near the Rio Paraguay in eastern Paraguay. This ant can be distinguished from other large Paraguayan Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) by the following combination of character states: numerous (>20) suberect to subdecumbent setae on the sides of the head in the major caste; scape of the major simple, not flattened at base; and striking bicoloration in all female castes, with gastric tergites 1-3 (=abd. tergites 3-6) bearing yellowish-white antero-lateral spots contrasting with a dark brown to black central area. Forel’s types of C. substitutus multipilis are more pilose than most Paraguayan collections of C. substitutus , but still within the range of variation of the species. As I can find no other characters that distinguish C. multipilis from C. substitutus I synonymize it here.