Camponotus schmitzi
| Camponotus schmitzi | |
|---|---|
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| Camponotus schmitzi in association with its host plant, Nepenthes bicalcarata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Camponotus |
| Species: | C. schmitzi |
| Binomial name | |
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Camponotus schmitzi Stärcke, 1933 |
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Camponotus schmitzi is a species of carpenter ant native to Borneo, which is commonly known as the diving ant, swimming ant or pitcher-plant ant, due to their habit of diving into the digestive fluids of their plant host Nepenthes bicalcarata. They are endemic to the island of Borneo.
C. schmitzi closely resemble Camponotus ceylonicus but are slightly larger. They have rectangular heads about one and a half times as long as they are wide. The mandibles have five teeth each (except for the minor workers which have four). The eyes are widely separated and located laterally, slightly behind the anterior bulge of the head. The antennae are short, with a scape at 1 mm (0.039 in) in length. The funicules are longer than they are wide proximally and become shorter and wider towards the tip. The body is smooth and shiny. The gaster is small. The legs are relatively large, especially the femurs, and very compressed laterally. Spines are present near the distal tip of the femurs and absent in the tibiae. The tarsi are longer than the tibiae.
C. schmitzi exhibit polymorphism, with three physical castes - minor, median, and major ("soldier") workers. The queen averages at a length of 8 mm (0.31 in) with wings measuring 7 mm (0.28 in) long. The major and median workers are both 6.5 mm (0.26 in) in length, while the minor workers are 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) long. They are brownish-yellow to reddish-orange in color; the head and gaster are darker than the rest of the body.
The larvae are typical of Camponotus larvae - cylindrical in shape with the head and mouthparts bent at a 90 degree angle from the body.
Camponotus schmitzi inhabits the hollow tendrils of the plant Nepenthes bicalcarata. It is only found in association with N. bicalcarata, which is endemic to the island of Borneo.
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Wikipedia