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Ants of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY FORMICIDAE

Carpenter Ants (Unknown)
Camponotus (Genus)

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Superfamily Formicoidea

-Ants (Family Formicidae)

-Formicine Ants (Subfamily Formicinae)

-Camponotin Ants (Tribe Camponotini)

-Carpenter Ants (Genus Camponotus)


Camponotus ants, commonly known as carpenter ants, are a diverse genus within the family Formicidae and the subfamily Formicinae. They are known for their wood-nesting habits and are one of the largest groups of ants. Camponotus ants are omnivorous and forage for a variety of food sources, including nectar, honeydew (from aphids), seeds, and other insects. They are known to establish foraging trails to efficiently locate food.



Diet

  • Omnivorous, feeding on honeydew from aphids, scale insects, and treehoppers, as well as nectar, plant sap, fruits, fungi, dead insects, and other arthropods.

  • Workers also scavenge carrion and may prey on live insects to provide protein for developing larvae.

  • Frequently visit flowers and extrafloral nectaries for sugary foods.

Range

  • The genus Camponotus is found on every continent except Antarctica, making it one of the world's largest ant genera.

  • In the Americas, species range from Canada through Mexico, Central America, and South America.

  • Numerous species occur throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

Habitat

  • Occupy tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, pine-oak forests, mangroves, deserts, grasslands, gardens, and urban areas.

  • Nest in dead wood, hollow trees, rotting logs, beneath bark, soil, rock crevices, cactus stems, and occasionally buildings.

  • Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood; they excavate galleries in decayed or softened wood to create their nests.

Size

  • Worker length: 4–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in), depending on species and caste.

  • Queen length: 12–20 mm (0.5–0.8 in).

  • Colonies may contain several thousand to over 20,000 workers.

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