Southern Africa, with records centred on South Africa and neighbouring countries.
Fine-art photographic collection
Camponotus cosmicus
A polished African carpenter ant whose workers span several body sizes and carry a golden sheen on the abdomen.
About this species
Camponotus cosmicus(F. Smith, 1858)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Camponotus cosmicus is an African carpenter ant with glossy dark workers, reddish legs and a golden sheen across the gaster. Documented workers range roughly from 4.5 to 7 mm, while queens are much larger, and the worker caste includes visibly different minor and major forms.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Camponotus
Accepted species. No English common name is supplied because none was verified in the linked taxonomic records. · checked 2026-07-15
Southern AfricaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
What makes this species remarkable?
Workers are only about 4.5–7 millimetres long, yet a single colony produces visibly different minor and major forms rather than one uniform worker size.
The black gaster can carry a golden metallic sheen, while the legs and parts of the thorax are reddish, making the colour pattern change strongly with the light.
The largest workers enlarge the head disproportionately, packing far more jaw muscle into the same basic body plan used by the faster, narrower minors.
More photographs
2