Camponotus sexguttatus (Fabricius 1793)

Wild, Alexander L., 2007, A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 1622, pp. 1-55 : 47-48

Camponotus sexguttatus (Fabricius 1793) .

Formica sexguttata Fabricius 1793: 354 .

Camponotus sexguttatus (Fabricius) . Mayr 1862: 656.

Camponotus sexguttatus var. fusciceps Emery 1906: 192 . NEW SYNONYMY. [syntype w examined, MHNG; Mato Grosso, Brazil].

Camponotus (Myrmosphincta) sexguttatus (Fabricius) . Forel 1912e: 92.

Camponotus (Myrmosphincta) sexguttatus var. fusciceps Emery. Wheeler 1916: 14 .

Camponotus sexguttatus is a common ant throughout the neotropics, particularly in disturbed or edge habitats, that has accumulated an unfortunate number of infraspecific taxa. These names usually pertain to minor color differences. While C. sexguttatus in the broad sense may actually contain a number of cryptic species over the full range of the group, there is little chance that the current haphazard assortment of subspecies and varieties accurately represents them. Literature records from Paraguay include both C. sexguttatus (Forel 1906, Forel 1907b [as “ bimaculatus ”], Kempf 1972) and C.sexguttatus var. fusciceps (Emery 1906, Kempf 1972). Examination of the specimens at MHNG on which the records are based shows both to belong to the single common species that I have been calling C. sexguttatus . A proper taxonomic study may eventually show that the forms from subtropical South America should have a different name, as the type of C. sexguttatus is Antillean in origin, far to the north.