South Asia, with records centred on the Indian subcontinent.
Fine-art photographic collection
Camponotus misturus
A carpenter ant that shares its home and even liquid meals with another ant species.
About this species
Camponotus misturus(F. Smith, 1857)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Camponotus misturus is part of a remarkable Malaysian parabiosis in which Camponotus and Crematogaster occupy the same nest while remaining separate societies. The partners tolerate one another and can exchange food directly.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Camponotus
Accepted species in current ant catalogues. · checked 2026-07-15
South AsiaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
What makes this species remarkable?
Workers have been observed living in shared nests with Crematogaster, a stable two-species association known as parabiosis rather than accidental cohabitation.
Camponotus workers solicit liquid food directly from their Crematogaster partners through interspecific mouth-to-mouth trophallaxis.
Two chemically and behaviourally distinct ant colonies therefore use the same nest architecture without merging their queens, brood or species identity.
More photographs
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