Description of worker (Fig. 1):

Worker measurements: TL: 5.10–6.85, HL: 1.23–1.98, HW: 0.92–1.70, EL: 0.32–0.41, SL: 1.15–1.39, ML: 1.87–2.38, PW: 0.77–1.15, PL: 0.19–0.23, mTbL: 1.00–1.06, hTbL: 1.36–1.44, GL 1.80-2.28 (n = 11).

Head: Head subtriangular, longer than wide in major worker (HW/HL = 0.86, n = 1), with arched margins laterally, posterior margin shallowly concave (Fig. 1a), distinctly elongate in minor worker (HW/HL = 0.75–0.77, n = 10), subrectangular with subparallel lateral margins and convex posterior margin; frontal carinae sinuous; clypeus in full-face view with anterior margin projected beyond anterior margin of gena; anterolateral corner of clypeus forming right angle, carinate in major worker, in minor worker clypeus relatively less carinate, with anterior margin only slightly extending beyond anterior margin of gena, anterolateral corner broadly rounded; scape short (SL/HW = 0.68), fails to reach occipital margin in major worker, distinctly elongate in minor worker (SL/HW = 1.18–1.44) surpassing posterior margin by about 0.33 of its length; mandible with six teeth in minor and seven in major with seventh tooth reduced.

Mesosoma: Mesosomal outline in lateral view smoothly arched; propodeal dorsum forming obtuse angle with declivity (Fig. 1c); propodeum compressed laterally; propodeal spiracle round; tibia tubular.

Petiole: petiolar scale broad, dorsally convex.

Sculpture: Head microreticulate, reticulation coarser on gena; mesosoma finely reticulate, gastral reticulations even feebler, appearing gently transversally striate. Mandible and scape with scattered punctures. Entire body shiny.

Vestiture: Pilosity yellowish; head, mesosoma, and all gaster segments with dense, erect, long setae; gena, entire ventral surface of head and mandible with dense shorter erect and suberect setae; scape with short, subapressed hairs; hindtibia without row of spiny bristles on ventral margin in addition to 3–4 suberect setae at distal end near spurs; body covered with very short, appressed, white pubescence, more distinct on head and gaster.

Color: Body black, regardless of size: antenna and leg reddish brown; trochanters yellow brown.

Description of Gyne (Fig. 2):

Gyne measurements: TL: 9.06–9.25, HL: 1.97–2.00, HW: 1.48–1.55, EL: 0.51–0.56, SL: 1.26–1.27, ML: 2.74–2.94, PL: 0.23–0.28, mTbL: 1.12–1.14, hTbL: 1.53–1.54; GL 4.03-4.12 (n = 3).

As in major worker, with modifications expected for caste and the following differences: head more elongate, sides relatively straight, occipital margin convex; mandible, clypeus and gena brownish. Head narrower than in conspecific major workers; mandible 7 toothed; scape barely reaches the posterior margin of head. Reticulate sculpture more pronounced on head; scutum with scattered wide, shallow punctures. Propodeum dorsum forms right angle with declivity.

The species epithet parabarbatus is a compound word meaning “similar to barbatus”.

This species seems to be rare in the Shivalik range of Northwest Himalaya although collected from both forested and non-forested areas of the region. Most workers were collected from vegetation while gynes and some workers were found under a large stone.

Camponotus parabarbatus resembles to the Camponotus barbatus distributed in Southeast Asia (Bolton et al. 2007) but can be easily distinguished from the latter. The head of the major worker of Camponotus parabarbatus is subtriangular with a shallowly concave posterior margin, the eyes well within the lateral cephalic margins, and the scape barely touches the posterior margin of head, while in Camponotus barbatus majors the head is subrectangular with gently convex posterior margin, eyes almost touching the lateral cephalic margins, scape surpasses the posterior margin of head by about 0.25 of its length. In Camponotus parabarbatus minor workers, the scape surpasses the posterior margin of head by about 0.33 of its length, whilst in Camponotus barbatus the scape does so by half its length. Additionally, Camponotus parabarbatus is uniformly jet-black whereas Camponotus barbatus is red brown in color.