Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) cognatocompressus Forel

Type locality "Africa" (Camponotus rubripes Drury r cognatus Sm. var. cognato-compressus, Forel, 1886f: 143 & 151, "unavailable name"; Forel, 1904b: 379, worker, queen & male - no images on Antweb (September 2014); probably wrongly synonymized and raised to species under name xerxes, Pisarski, 1967: 414, see below)
all forms described (see Bolton, 1995).

Arguably this and Camponotus xerxes are separate species but without type images of cognatocompressus one cannot be sure.

Forel's (1886f) description is at ; the specimens were earlier described (under the much smaller Camponotus cognatus) in his (1879a) paper - the text is at . Forel's (1904f) description of xerxes is at . The overall feature from Forel's several pieces, is of a form that is larger and matt relative to maculatus s.s. The specimens were from Egypt and Tunisia, although I suspect the Forel (1879a) specimens were those listed by Magretti (1884) from the Sudan-Eritrea border area. Forel's (1904f) brief note on xerxes gives that as wholly black, whereas the cognatocompressus from Africa had the alitrunk and even part of the gaster reddish-yellow. In the earlier work (1886f) he noted the soldiers were larger TL ca 15 mm) than any Camponotus maculatus variety. The xerxes type major is similar in TL but has a larger head, both in width and length to the Egypt major shown below.

For comparison, Emery's (1893f) description of Camponotus adenensis is at . Although generally like "compressus", see Camponotus compressus; this has relatively shorter scapes, SI 0.85; there are no "aiguillons" or short setae on the lower margin of the tibiae; the petiole scale has a rounded upper margin.

Oxford University Museum specimens

Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) cognatocompressus B Taylor det.	Egypt M Sharaf	4.v.2003 Zaranik 30°39' N 34°26' E	no details	1
Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) cognatocompressus B Taylor det.	Egypt A Shepherd	2010 Sinai 28°33' N 33°56' E	St Katherine’s Protectorate Large Blue at night	2
Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) cognatocompressus B Taylor det.	Israel J Kugler	22.iv.1981 Ziqim		5

The photomontage is of a major worker from Egypt, Zaranik, N. Sinai; collector Mostafa Sharaf.

This has CI 89, distinct setae on lower margin of hind tibiae, a sharp summit to the petiole scale.

The photomontage is of a media worker from Egypt, Sinai, St Kathsrine's; collector Amy Shepherd.

The photomontage is of a minor worker from Egypt, Sinai, St Kathsrine's; collector Amy Shepherd.

The photomontage is of a major worker from Israel; collector J Kugler.