Cephalotes texanus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cephalotes texanus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cephalotes texanus worker | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Genus: | Cephalotes |
| Species: | C. texanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cephalotes texanus (Santschi, 1915) | |
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 ants.[1][2] The species is native of Texas and of the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas.[3] 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 Felix Santschi.
