A Developmental Table for the Florida Carpenter Ant 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴: Establishing Foundations for Mechanistic Studies of Development and Evolution in Ants

Developmental staging tables have been essential tools for understanding morphogenesis, gene regulation, and evolutionary change across animal taxa. However, such frameworks are lacking for many species, which are relevant for answering key questions in the fields of ecology, evolutionary, and developmental biology. Here, we present a comprehensive developmental table for the carpenter ant _Camponotus floridanus_, an emerging model system for understanding how ecological environment, eusocial systems, endosymbionts, and organismal development interact and influence each other. Our staging spans embryonic, larval, and pupal development, combining high-resolution and time-lapse imaging to document key events from egg to adult. Stages are defined based on conserved features of insect embryogenesis, including nuclear division, cellularization, gastrulation, germband elongation, segmentation, and dorsal closure. _C. floridanus_ has evolved novel, species-specific developmental features, largely driven by its endosymbiosis with the bacteria _Blochmannia_. Despite this, we successfully identified several homologous landmarks that are conserved with those of other ants, including the Pharoah ant _Monomorium pharaonis_, as well as the fruit fly _Drosophila melanogaster_. We characterized 17 embryonic stages and four larval instars in worker castes. We identified diagnostic traits for each larval instar and revealed a system for determining developmental windows necessary for mechanistic studies at the larval stage. Finally, we characterized the daily morphological changes observed during pupal development, an understudied phase in ant development for understanding caste differentiation. This framework will provide a foundational reference for mechanistic studies in ecological evolutionary developmental Biology (eco-evo-devo) in ants and other insects.