Camponotus substitutus Emery 1894

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

Camponotus substitutus Emery 1894 c.

Camponotus melanoticus var. substitutus Emery 1894: 3 . [w syntypes examined, MCSN; Salinus, S. Beni, Bolivia (Balzan)].

Camponotus landolti r. substitutus Emery. Forel 1899c: 136 .

Camponotus melanoticus var. multipilis Forel 1907d: 10 . NEW SYNONYMY. [w, m, q syntypes examined, MHNG; Estancia Postillón, Puerto Max a. Rio Paraguay, N. Paraguay (Louis Des Arts jr.)]

Camponotus (Myrmoturba) melanoticus var. multipilis Forel. Bruch 1914: 229 .

Camponotus (Myrmoturba) melanoticus subsp. substitutus Emery. Bruch 1914: 229 .

Camponotus maculatus st. substitutus Emery. Santschi 1916: 396 .

Camponotus fumidus st. substitutus Emery. Santschi 1922b: 101 .

Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) substitutus Emery. Emery 1925: 82 .

Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) substitutus var. multipilis Forel. Emery 1925: 83 .

Camponotus substitutus is among the more commonly encountered Camponotus in open and disturbed habitats, particularly in the chaco and near the Rio Paraguay in eastern Paraguay. This ant can be distinguished from other large Paraguayan Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) by the following combination of character states: numerous (>20) suberect to subdecumbent setae on the sides of the head in the major caste; scape of the major simple, not flattened at base; and striking bicoloration in all female castes, with gastric tergites 1-3 (=abd. tergites 3-6) bearing yellowish-white antero-lateral spots contrasting with a dark brown to black central area. Forel’s types of C. substitutus multipilis are more pilose than most Paraguayan collections of C. substitutus , but still within the range of variation of the species. As I can find no other characters that distinguish C. multipilis from C. substitutus I synonymize it here.