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Ants of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY FORMICIDAE

Compact Carpenter Ants
Camponotus planatus

-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)

-Compact Carpenter Ant (Camponotus plantus)


Camponotus planatus, commonly known as the Compact Carpenter Ant, is a species of carpenter ant belonging to the genus Camponotus in the family Formicidae. These ants prefer forested areas, particularly those with abundant decaying wood, as they typically nest in rotting logs, dead trees, and tree stumps. These ants are omnivorous and will forage for a variety of food sources, including sugars (from nectar and honeydew), seeds, and small insects. They establish foraging trails to optimize their search for food.



Diet

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

  • Workers actively hunt and scavenge insects to provide protein for developing larvae.

  • Frequently visits flowers and extrafloral nectaries for carbohydrate-rich foods.

Range

  • Native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of northern South America.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Also introduced into parts of the southern United States, especially Florida, where it has become established.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, mangroves, woodland edges, secondary forests, plantations, orchards, gardens, and urban areas.

  • Nests beneath loose bark, inside dead branches and twigs, rotting logs, tree cavities, fence posts, and occasionally buildings.

  • Forages both in the forest canopy and on the ground, often forming conspicuous trails.

Size

  • Worker length: 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in)

  • Major worker: Up to 9 mm (0.35 in)

  • Queen length: 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in)

  • Colonies typically contain several hundred to several thousand workers.

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