South and Southeast Asia, including the Indian subcontinent and mainland Southeast Asia.
Fine-art photographic collection
Camponotus mutilarius
A carpenter ant whose male breaks two structural rules followed by almost the entire genus.
About this species
Camponotus mutilariusEmery, 1893
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Camponotus mutilarius is an Asian carpenter ant with a uniquely constructed male. A modern redescription showed that the male antenna and mandible depart sharply from the normal Camponotus pattern.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Camponotus
Accepted species in current ant catalogues. · checked 2026-07-15
South and Southeast AsiaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
What makes this species remarkable?
The male has only twelve antennal segments instead of the thirteen normally found in male Camponotus, making it exceptional within the enormous genus.
Its mandibles carry seven strong teeth, far more than the one to four teeth typical of male carpenter ants.
The male remained undescribed for more than a century after the species was named, so its anatomical rule-breaking was hidden in plain sight until a modern revision.
More photographs
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