This species is very common in lowland wet forest habitats. It can occur in both mature forest and highly disturbed areas. For example, workers are very common in canopy fogging samples from mature forest at La Selva Biological Station, yet I have also found them on the landscaping around the Juan Santa Maria airport near San Jose. Foragers are diurnal.
Nests occur in highly insolated areas such as upper forest canopy, open scrubby or second growth vegetation, roadsides, and agricultural land. The species is an opportunistic cavity nester. Nests are in dead branches, ranging from narrow vine stems to relatively large branches. In surveys of Cecropia trees, I often find nests in internodes of saplings, or in mature trees abandoned by Azteca, or in peripheral portions of trees that have a dominant Azteca colony elsewhere in the crown.
This species is morphologically and behaviorly very similar to C. planatus. The two species seem to differ in the degree of habitat disturbance they prefer. This species is relatively more common in mature forest habitats, while C. planatus dominates in open areas subject to higher disturbance rates.
Mexico to southern Brazil. Costa Rica: Atlantic and southern Pacific lowlands, Central Valley.
Taxonomic history
Mayr, 1878 PDF: 868 (m.); Forel, 1879a PDF: 96 (s.); Wheeler & Wheeler, 1953e PDF: 194 (l.).Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1862 PDF: 676.Combination in Camponotus (Myrmobrachys): Forel, 1912j PDF: 91.Senior synonym of Camponotus tomentosa: Emery, 1892c PDF: 167.See also: Longino, 2006b PDF: 133.Das mir aus Brasilien vom Mus. Caes, vorliegende Exemplar stimmt in allen Eigenschaften mit Smith's Beschreibung ueberein, ausser darin, dass es oben eine etwas ausgerandete Schuppe hat, dass die Geissel, mit Ausnahme des ersten Gliedes, schwarz ist, ferner dass der Kopf, Thorax, und Hinterleib ziemlich reichlich abstehend behaart sind. Smith's Worte: „ the node of the peduncle ovate " beruhen jedenfalls auf einer Irrung; Smith wollte wohl statt node: scale schreiben.
Camponotus senex is a fairly common species of weaver ant from the New World. They are opportunistic cavity-dwellers, semi-nomadic carpenter ants which are found around grasslands in Central and South America.[1][2] It is taxonomically believed to be a complex of cryptic species and was previously considered synonymous with Camponotus textor.which once included a distantly-related species of weaver-ant.[3]
C. senex are medium-sized and agile, and can be frequently found inside the abandoned outer crusts of termite nests. They can inflict a respectable bite when handled carelessly. They're, however, not aggressive, and their nests tend to be sparse and mainly composed of satellite, queenless temporary nests under stones or bark.[2] Very little is known about their biology as C. senex remains a poorly studied species, in spite of being so common.[3]
The development of C. senex undergoes four larval instars. The larvae are typical Camponotus larvae: plump and hairy larvae that will spin a cocoon. They contain anchor-tipped dorsal hairs when mature, which may signals for a morphological adaptation to be hung inside the ant nest. They are the only ants apart from fire ants to present solenopsin alkaloids in their venom.[3]
Camponotus senex is a fairly common species of weaver ant from the New World. They are opportunistic cavity-dwellers, semi-nomadic carpenter ants which are found around grasslands in Central and South America. It is taxonomically believed to be a complex of cryptic species and was previously considered synonymous with Camponotus textor.which once included a distantly-related species of weaver-ant.
Camponotus senex is een mierensoort uit de onderfamilie van de schubmieren (Formicinae).[1][2] De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1858 door Smith, F..
Bronnen, noten en/of referenties
Camponotus senex é uma espécie de inseto do gênero Camponotus, pertencente à família Formicidae.[1]
Camponotus senex é uma espécie de inseto do gênero Camponotus, pertencente à família Formicidae.
