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Species Camponotus novaeboracensis - New York Carpenter Ant

Representative Images

Carpenter Ant with larvae - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female An ant - Camponotus novaeboracensis Large winged ant-like - Camponotus novaeboracensis Ant - Camponotus novaeboracensis Ant Camponotus novaeboracensis ? - Camponotus novaeboracensis red and black ant - Camponotus novaeboracensis Camponotus? - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Formicoidea (Ants)
Family Formicidae (Ants)
Subfamily Formicinae
Tribe Camponotini
Genus Camponotus (Carpenter Ants)
No Taxon (Subgenus Camponotus)
Species novaeboracensis (New York Carpenter Ant)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Formica novaeboracensis Fitch 1855
Spellings "novae-" and "nove-" are both seen. Under the rules of nomeclature they are considered homonyms and the original spelling should be retained, thus novaeboracensis

Explanation of Names

Specific name is Latin for "from New York."

Identification

Relatively shiny, large carpenter ant worker with distinctly red mesosoma is unique over most of its range. In the western part, where it overlaps with C. vicinus, the unkeeled clypeus and relatively shorter limbs are technical characters to distinguish C. novaeboracensis.

Males are black and difficult to distinguish from related species.

"Color pattern of the mesosoma (apparent thorax), namely the contrast between shining black mesoscutellum and mainly red reminder, is typical for reproductive females of this widespread eastern Carpenter Ant species." -- Richard Vernier

Habitat

Wet wooded areas, bogs, edges of wetlands.

Remarks

Colony enters diapause in the winter.

See Also

Easily distinguished from its relative Camponotus pennsylvanicus by the red thorax.
C. chromaiodes has a generally similar black-red-black color pattern that differs in detail.
Contributed by tom murray on 7 May, 2006 - 7:23am
Additional contributions by Vox Sciurorum, James C. Trager
Last updated 20 May, 2015 - 4:13pm

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