What the heck is this entomological oddity?
I will award three points to the first commentator who can correctly guess the family, three points for the genus, and four points for the species.
The cumulative points winner for the month of August will take home their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my photo galleries, or 2) a guest post here on Myrmecos.
Good luck!
[My apologies for the late posting. It is, after all, Mrs. Myrmecos’s birthday today]
Looks a lot like the face Camponotus ulcerosus (Formicidae) which you posted earlier today…
I was thinking the same exact thing…
Ditto. Decision by consensus. If this were Wikipedia it would now be a Fact.
Ah yes, wikifacts… 🙂
This looks a lot like the Monday Morning Mystery.
Alex
Please pass on to Mrs M a happy birthday from Down Under
Ditto. Happy birthday Mrs. Myrmecos! Does she like insects too? 😀
Indeed she does. She’s TAing one of the UI entomology classes this semester.
Will do!
Cephalotes varians!
Grubbing for points:
Formicidae
Formicinae
Camponotini
Camponotus
(Myrmaphaenus)
ulcerosus
The history of subgenus placement for this species is a testament to the chaos that is Camponotus subgenera:
(Colobopsis): Forel, 1914
(Myrmamblys): Emery, 1920
(Manniella): Emery, 1925
(Myrmaphaenus): Creighton, 1951
All of these authors were competent ant taxonomists, yet none could get a handle on this mess. It would be a great, long-term project for a young myrmecologist using modern techniques and a multiplicity of characters and specimens to sort out the internal classification of Camponotus based on its phylogeny.
Would you do this for all the mysteries? It would sure help me learn some ant taxonomy!
My psychological experiment seems to be working. Too well. I’m going to have to leave this one up a bit longer until someone gets it.
Camponotus impressus, “scapes eye view” of the antennal insertion on the head of a major?
I think Josh is close, but would argue for C. (Colobopsis) obliquus. It seems not only too shiny for ulcerosus, but for most other Colobopsis, too.
Camponotus hunteri (because James beat me to C. obliquus.) Is it me or is the scape socket a little to close to the clypeus for any of these?
I agree with James, It looks like the truncated head of a major of Colobopsis obliquus. Was the picture taken in NC? Maybe close to Morehead city? Just a guess…
Happy Birthday to Jo!
Thanks Benoit! Alex tells me the photo of you with the aspirator is in high demand. If the postdoc falls through you might be able rely on a modeling career.
I think the oddity is the phragmotic head, which allows the major worker of Camponotus subg. Colobopsis to serve as a living door. This head shape is also seen in Crematogaster cylindricus, a twig-nesting SE Asian ant. Some Pheidole use the top of the head as the door.
Crematogaster cylindriceps, not cylindricus.
I think you are on to something with the phragmotic head.
Well, to answer the questions:
Family Formicidae
Genus Camponotus
Species ?
Might be good for a few points if I grovel before Alex and offer my first-born nanitic Oecophylla smaragdina.
That is a ant, genus pheidole. I think 🙂
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I think it’s Camponotus Truncatus or a specie like this.
It is right 🙂 ?
To be exactly : Formicinae / Camponotus / Truncatus 🙂
Oups didn’t see the answer. You can delet sorry !