Camponotus zonatus
Caribbean Banded Carpenter Ant
No Local Name
f.FORMICIDAE
Ants
sf.Formicinae
Camponotus zonatus
Caribbean Banded Carpenter Ant
No Local Name
f.FORMICIDAE
Ants
sf.Formicinae
Cook Islands Status Summary
Show Notes
Intl. NamesCaribbean Banded Carpenter Ant EN
Local NamesNo Content
Pacific NamesNo Content
Sci. NamesCamponotus zonatus (accepted name)
, Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) zonatus, Camponotus extensus ssp. zonatus, Camponotus conspicuus ssp. zonatus, newFix2024-01
High Tax. Eng.k.Animals, p.Arthropods, spc.Hexapods, c.Insects, spf.Wasps, f.Ants, sf.Green Tree-ants - Ant
High Tax. Latink.ANIMALIA, p.ARTHROPODA, sp.ATELOCERATA, spc.HEXAPODA, c.INSECTA, sc.PTERYGOTA, o.Hymenoptera, so.Apocrita, io.Aculeata, spf.Vespoidea, f.FORMICIDAE, sf.Formicinae
Natl. PresencePresent
Sth. PresenceRR++ LMG++ LAT?MK?MT?AK?PL?MN?TK?
Nth. PresenceTN?MH?RK?PK?NS?SW?
VouchersRR1999
MG2026
Local OriginIntroduced; Recent; Naturalised
Global RangeNative: Central America (s.Mexico - Panama); Introduced: Galapagos (1963), Cooks (Rarotonga 1999);
HabitatNo Content
ThreatenedNo Content
InvasivenessNo Content
BiosecurityNo Content
Medical StatusNo Content
Harmful StatusNo Content
UsesNo Content
IdentificationOur largest ant since its arrival in 1999. Four distinct castes: winged Queen 14mm(excl wings), winged Male 7mm(excl. wings), Major Worker 12mmBL and Minor Worker 10mmBL. COLOUR pinkish brown with pale abdomen (gaster) with dark brown to black bars omore...n posterior of each segment, and on Queens and Majors often a small dark bar mid-segment.
Similar SpeciesCamponotus chloroticus has hind-half of the gaster dark brown (vs pale with contrasting blackish bars).
Interest NoteMcCormack uploaded detailed images of Pukapuka specimens andmore... Rarotonga specimens to iNaturalist in January 2024 and @mettcollsuss and @impuls4444 identified the Rarotonga ant as zonatus. In August 2024 McCormack sent Rarotonga specimens to Thibault RAMAGE who confirmed they were zonatus. The species variegatus was also a possibility, but the specimens had several large hairs on the top of the head of the minor worker which are present in zonatus, but absent in variegatus. See: https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0173226&shot=h&number=1
Show All Notes
Multimedia & Other Resources
Click on a thumbnail to see the full image and image details.
Vernacular Names
Citation Information
McCormack, Gerald (2026) Cook Islands Biodiversity & Ethnobiology Database, Version 2026.04.21 - Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at https://naturalheritage.gov.ck/cibed
Please refer to our use policy.
Saved Species
X of 20
- Save Species