''Cephalotes liepini'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of arboreal ant of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Cephalotes'', characterized by an odd shaped head and the ability to "parachute" by steering their fall if they drop off of the tree they're on. Giving their name also as

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. The species is native of the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian states of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...

and

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

. Their larger and flatter legs, a trait common with other members of the genus ''Cephalotes'', gives them their gliding abilities. The species was first given a description and a classification in 1999 by Brazilian

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Maria de Andrade Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

, after a specimen was found in

Alvorada do Norte Alvorada do Norte is a municipality in northeastern Goiás state, Brazil. It is an important commercial center on the Brasília-Salvador highway. Location Alvorada do Norte is part of the Vão do Paranã Microregion. Neighboring municipalities ...

in the state of Goiás. The species shares a number of physical traits with ''

Cephalotes kukulcan ''Cephalotes kukulcan'' is a species of arboreal ant of the genus '' Cephalotes'', characterized by an odd shaped head and the ability to "parachute" by steering its fall if it drops from the tree it is on, hence the alternative name of gliding ...

'', and the name liepini is an anagram of pinelii, as according to De Andrade, '' Cephalotes pinelii'' is a close relative to ''Cephalotes liepini''.

References

liepini Insects described in 1999 {{Cephalotes-stub