Cephalotes guayaki explained

Cephalotes guayaki 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. As such they are considered one of the gliding ants.^{[1] [2]} The species is native across the north of South America, from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso in the north to Paraguay in the south.^[3] Their larger and flatter legs, a trait common with other members of the genus Cephalotes, gives them their gliding abilities.^[4]

The species was first given a description and a classification by Brazilian entomologist Maria de Andrade in 1999.

Notes and References

1. Latreille, P.A. (1802). Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere des crustaces et des insectes. Vol. 3. F. Dufart, Paris. 467 pp. PDF
2. Yanoviak . S. P. . Munk . Y. . Dudley . R. . 10.1093/icb/icr006 . Evolution and Ecology of Directed Aerial Descent in Arboreal Ants . Integrative and Comparative Biology . 51 . 6 . 944–956 . 2011 . 21562023. free .
3. Web site: Species Range Maps . Antmaps.org . 22 January 2019.
4. Book: De Andrade . Maria . Urbani . Cesare . Diversity and adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) . 1999 . Stuttgarter Beitraege zur Naturkunde Serie B (Geologie und Palaeontologie) . 667–668 . 22 January 2019.