Cephalotes multispinosus explained

Cephalotes multispinosus 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 most of Central America, from the Mexican state of Nayarit in the north to Panama in the south. Dubious reports have also been made of the presence of the species in the American states of Texas and Illinois^[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 in 1868 by an entomologist named Norton.

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 . 27 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) . 315-320 . 27 January 2019.