Camponotus fallax

29. Camponotus fallax (Nylander, 1856)

Figs. 114, 115.

Formica fallax Nylander, 1856:57.

Worker. Dark brownish red to black with legs and antennae paler; body hairs sparse; microsculpture on head and alitrunk dense, giving somewhat opaque appearance; gaster shining. Clypeus not projecting forward beyond mandibular insertions, middle of front border incised; in the larger examples the cleft is deep, giving a bidentate appearance. Mandibles broad with five distinct teeth. In profile dorsum of alitrunk rather flat, propodeum with steep descending basal face; petiole broadly oval in front view. Length: variable 4-9 mm.

Queen. Similar in appearance with long steeply descending basal face of propodeum. Length: 8-10 mm.

Male. Brownish black; clypeal emargination shallow, sometimes indistinct; petiole shallowly emarginate, low and thick in profile. Wings pale except for yellowish front border and stigma of fore-wing. Mandibles with apical tooth only. Length: 7-8 mm.

Distribution. Sweden: Vastmanland, where Forsslund (1957) found it locally in old oak trees. Very rare. - Range: Central and South Europe, Portugal to Ukraine and Morocco to Poland.

Biology. This species lives in small colonies of 30-50 individuals under bark or in dead wood of old trees up to 2 m or more above ground in open deciduous woodland or parkland. Workers forage singly and are fugitive. Alatae have been recorded in early summer, May and June.