von earlant » 5. Dez 2006 11:47
Hi JimmyVe,
With pics in that quality it is not even possible to confirm the genus, to say nothing on a species identification.
Also, Camponotus is one of the largest genera with more than 900 species worldwide. Probably close to 100 will exist in South America.
I think, however, it is the duty of your ant dealer to have his "products" identified by a reliable specialist.
I as an experienced myrmecologist could not identify these species, even if I had specimens at hand.
Buying unidentified species is always "buy a pig in a poke" (or as we are used to put it in Germany: "buy a cat in a bag", - where you expect having bought a rabbit). You can't find any information on such an organism, be it in the scientific literature or in the internet.
Apparently your dealer in Argentina not even tells in which climatic zone his ants have been collected, and there are various in this vast country.
Sorry for this unpleasant information, but it is honest!
Earlant