Camponotus coloratus Forel 1904

Wild, Alexander L., 2007, A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa 1622, pp. 1-55 : 49

Camponotus coloratus Forel 1904 a. NEW STATUS.

Camponotus melanoticus v. colorata Forel 1904a: 49 . [holotype w examined, MHNG; Ciénaga, Columbia]. Camponotus (Myrmoturba) melanoticus var. colorata Forel. Bruch 1914: 229 . Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) substitutus var. colorata Forel. Emery 1925: 83 . Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) substitutus var. coloratus Forel. Kempf 1972: 72 .

Camponotus coloratus cannot be considered conspecific with C. substitutus . Both ants are locally sympatric in the Paraguayan chaco without signs of hybridization. These species share a similar striking bicoloration (see discussion under C. substitutus ), but workers of C. coloratus , in addition to being on average larger than workers of C. substitutus , have disproportionately longer legs, a more opaque microsculpture, and considerably reduced pilosity with the sides of the head of the major bearing fewer than 5 standing setae. Paraguayan material is lighter in color and with a broader head in the major caste than Forel’s type from Colombia, but given the allopatric nature of the variation I see no reason to divide C. coloratus further.