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Cephalotes Prodigiosus
''Cephalotes prodigiosus'' is a species of arboreal ant of the genus '' Cephalotes'', characterized by an odd shaped head and the ability to "parachute" by steering their fall if they drop off the tree they're on, giving them the name of gliding ant Gliding ants are arboreal ants of several different genera that are able to control the direction of their descent when falling from a tree. Living in the rainforest canopy like many other gliders, gliding ants use their gliding to return to the ...s as well. References prodigiosus Insects described in 1921 {{Cephalotes-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Felix Santschi
Felix Santschi (1 December 1872 – 20 November 1940) was a Swiss entomologist known for discovering that ants use the sun as a compass and for describing about 2000 taxa of ants. Santschi is known for his pioneering work on the navigational abilities of ants. In one experiment, he investigated the way harvester ant Harvester ant, also known as harvesting ant, is a common name for any of the species or genera of ants that collect seeds (called seed predation), or mushrooms as in the case of ''Euprenolepis procera'', which are stored in the nest in communal ...s used the sky to navigate. He found that as long as even a small patch of sky was visible, the ants could return directly to the nest after gathering food. However, when the sky was completely hidden, they lost their sense of direction and began moving haphazardly. Some seventy years later it was shown that ants are guided by the polarization of light. References 1872 births 1940 deaths Swiss entomologists Myrme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose numerous mechanical challenges to animals moving through them and lead to a variety of anatomical, behavioral and ecological consequences as well as variations throughout different species.Cartmill, M. (1985). Climbing. In ''Functional Vertebrate Morphology'', eds. M. Hildebrand D. M. Bramble K. F. Liem and D. B. Wake, pp. 73–88. Cambridge: Belknap Press. Furthermore, many of these same principles may be applied to climbing without trees, such as on rock piles or mountains. Some animals are exclusively arboreal in habitat, such as the tree snail. Biomechanics Arboreal habitats pose numerous mechanical challenges to animals moving in them, which have been solved in diverse ways. These challenges include moving on n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cephalotes
''Cephalotes'' is a genus of tree-dwelling ant species from the Americas, commonly known as turtle ants. All appear to be gliding ants, with the ability to "parachute" and steer their fall so as to land back on the tree trunk rather than fall to the ground, which is often flooded. Ecological specialization and evolution of a soldier caste One of the most important aspects of the genus' social evolution and adaptation is the manner in which their social organization has been shaped by environmental pressures.Hölldobler, B., Wilson, E. O., & Nelson, M. C. (2009). The superorganism: the beauty, elegance, and strangeness of insect societies. New York: W.W. Norton. This is particularly true of the species '' Cephalotes rohweri'', in which an entire soldier class has evolved as a result of highly specialized nest cavity availability.Powell, S. (2008). Ecological specialization and the evolution of a specialized caste in ''Cephalotes'' ant. Functional Ecology, 22, 902-911. Because an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gliding Ant
Gliding ants are arboreal ants of several different genera that are able to control the direction of their descent when falling from a tree. Living in the rainforest canopy like many other gliders, gliding ants use their gliding to return to the trunk of the tree they live on should they fall or be knocked off a branch. Gliding was first discovered for ''Cephalotes atratus'' in the Peruvian rainforest. At least five genera in the subfamilies Myrmicinae, Pseudomyrmecinae, and Formicinae (mostly '' Camponotus'') display gliding of various degrees, in an example of parallel evolution. All species in the genus ''Cephalotes'' (within Myrmicinae) tested to date show this ability, as do many species within Pseudomyrmecinae. Unique among gliding animals, ''Cephalotes'' (Myrminae) and Pseudomyrmecinae ants glide abdomen first. Formicinae ants glide in the more conventional head first manner, though. Gliding ants have been shown to have an 85%"Yanoviak S. P., and Dudley, R.The role of vis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
