''Cephalotes texanus'' 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 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
Texas and of the
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
states of
Nuevo Leon,
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...
and
Tamaulipas.
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 1919 by Swiss
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 ...
Felix Santschi.
Morphology
As some other members of its genus, ''Cephalotes texanus'' possesses an odd shaped head, which is the result of it adapting to nest in the nests of
longhorn beetle larvae, as their nests are already dug out by them, the species does not build nests. The odd shaped head of the species allows its soldier to deny access to the nest by blocking it with their head, further blocking themselves with a dorsal ridge on the dorsal part of their
thorax. They have further evolved towards this purpose with their fragile antennas being placed on the side of their heads, protected by the shield.
This form of morphological adaptation is called
phragmosis.
References
External links
*
texanus
Taxa named by Felix Santschi
Insects described in 1915
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