I finally got around to (sort of, not quite) keying out a few colonies I've had for a while. All caught in the Blue Mountains, NSW. First up two Camponotus species, keyed based on Archie Mcarthur's Guide to Camponotus Ants of Australia.
Black sp. belongs to group 6. Best fits are:
C. cinereus amperei- Very similar petiole node, but ought not to display setae on the gena and lacks red funiculus or,
C. pitjantjatarae- similar lustre, similarly excavated propodeum
I'm thinking the closest match is C. pitjantjatarae. However the vertex seems more rounded and the mesosoma with fewer setae than either of the candidate species.
Yellowish sp. belongs to group 3. Best fits are
C. churchetti- Similar head and petiole node, but should have more mesosomal setae and its not recorded as being found in NSW.
C. simulator- Colouration similar, but vertex dissimilar.
This one was really hard. I'm thinking the later option, but it could just as easily have been C. pallidiceps or C. extensus as well. None of the options I looked at show the distinct striped patterns on the majors and queens of this species.
If anyone has expertise in this area your advice would be helpful!
Edited by Del, February 18 2017 - 1:10 AM.
