Cephalotes

{{short description|Genus of ants}} {{distinguish|Cephalotus}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Cephalotes Atratus.jpg | image_caption = ''Cephalotes atratus'', Soberania National Park, Panama | taxon = Cephalotes | authority = Latreille, 1802<ref>{{cite book|author= Latreille, P.A. |year=1802| title= Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere des crustaces et des insectes.| volume= 3|publisher=F. Dufart|place=Paris|url=http://research.amnh.org/entomology/social_insects/ants/publications/0242/0242.pdf}}</ref> | diversity_link = Cephalotes#Species | diversity = about 130 species | synonyms =*''Cryptocerus'' Latreille, 1803 *''Cyathocephalus'' Emery, 1915 *''Cyathomyrmex'' Creighton, 1933 *''Eucryptocerus'' Kempf, 1951 *''Exocryptocerus'' Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995 *''Harnedia'' Smith, 1949 *''Hypocryptocerus'' Wheeler, 1920 *''Paracryptocerus'' Emery, 1915 *''Zacryptocerus'' Wheeler, 1911 | type_species = ''Formica atrata'' | type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758 }}

'''''Cephalotes''''' is a genus of tree-dwelling ant species from the Americas, commonly known as '''turtle ants'''. All appear to be gliding ants, with the ability to "parachute" and steer their fall so as to land back on the tree trunk rather than fall to the ground, which is often flooded.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Yanoviak | first1 = S. P. | last2 = Munk | first2 = Y. | last3 = Dudley | first3 = R. | doi = 10.1093/icb/icr006 | title = Evolution and Ecology of Directed Aerial Descent in Arboreal Ants | journal = Integrative and Comparative Biology | volume = 51 | issue = 6 | pages = 944–956 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21562023| doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name=newscientist>{{cite web|last1=Wild|first1=Alex|title=Ants use their flattened heads as doors to lock down their nests|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28481-zoologger-ants-that-use-their-heads-to-lock-down-their-nests/|website=New Scientist|access-date=18 November 2015|date=11 November 2015}}</ref>

==Ecological specialization and evolution of a soldier caste== One of the most important aspects of the genus' social evolution and adaptation is the manner in which their social organization has been shaped by environmental pressures.<ref name="Holldobler Superorganism">Hölldobler, B., Wilson, E. O., & Nelson, M. C. (2009). The superorganism: the beauty, elegance, and strangeness of insect societies. New York: W.W. Norton.</ref> Because ants within ''Cephalotes'' use nesting cavities found in the trees upon which they live, most species have evolved a cohort of morphologically specialized soldiers, which defend these nesting cavities<ref name="Powell, 2008">Powell, S. (2008). Ecological specialization and the evolution of a specialized caste in ''Cephalotes'' ant. Functional Ecology, 22, 902-911.</ref>. They use their distinctive plate-like heads to block the entrances to the nests, essentially creating a living door to the nest cavities.<ref name="Powell, 2008" />

The relationship between soldier head morphology and nest defense has been investigated<ref name="Powell, 2008" />. Whereas species with less-specialized soldiers engage in both active and passive (blocking) behaviors to defend nests, species with more-specialized soldiers engage in only passive, blocking defense behavior<ref name="Powell, 2008" />.

Another study by Powell examined the process by which environmental factors shape colonial castes within the worker class. However, this study focused more on how colonies adapt their caste systems to ecological factors in their environment.<ref name="Powell, 2009">Powell, S. (2009). How ecology shapes caste evolution: linking resource use, morphology, performance and fitness in a superorganism. Evolutionary Biology, 22, 1004-1013.</ref>

For the experiment, a species of the genus ''Cephalotes'' was used that displayed the highest level of soldier specialization. Three key findings regarding adaptive caste specialization were supported:

# Soldiers were best at defending the specific nesting resource found in nature. # Colonies used only certain nests (out of all the available nests), and selected only the nesting sites that would maximize soldier performance. # Soldier performance and limitations had both direct and indirect effects on colony reproduction.<ref name="Powell, 2009"/>

The results of this experiment support the concept that the most specialized soldier phenotype in ''Cephalotes'' is a result of adaptation to ecological specialization within a narrow subset of available nests.<ref name="Powell, 2009"/>

==Species==

[[File:Cephalotes coffeae CASENT0919595 dorsal.jpg|thumb|right|''Cephalotes coffeae'']] [[File:Cephalotes incertus casent0173681 dorsal 1.jpg|thumb|right|''Cephalotes incertus'']] {{Div col}} * ''Cephalotes adolphi'' {{small|(Emery, 1906)}} * ''Cephalotes alfaroi'' {{small|(Emery, 1890)}} * ''Cephalotes angustus'' {{small|(Mayr, 1862)}} * ''Cephalotes argentatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1853)}} * ''Cephalotes argentiventris'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes atratus'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}} * ''Cephalotes auriger'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes basalis'' {{small|(Smith, 1876)}} * ''Cephalotes betoi'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes biguttatus'' {{small|(Emery, 1890)}} * ''Cephalotes bimaculatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1860)}} * ''Cephalotes bivestitus'' {{small|(Santschi, 1922)}} * ''Cephalotes bohlsi'' {{small|(Emery, 1896)}} * ''Cephalotes borgmeieri'' {{small|(Kempf, 1951)}} * ''Cephalotes bruchi'' {{small|(Forel, 1912)}} * ''Cephalotes chacmul'' {{small|Snelling, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes christopherseni'' {{small|(Forel, 1912)}} * ''Cephalotes clypeatus'' {{small|(Fabricius, 1804)}} * ''Cephalotes coffeae'' {{small|(Kempf, 1953)}} * ''Cephalotes columbicus'' {{small|(Forel, 1912)}} * ''Cephalotes complanatus'' {{small|(Guerin-Meneville, 1844)}} * ''Cephalotes conspersus'' {{small|(Smith, 1867)}} * ''Cephalotes cordatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1853)}} * ''Cephalotes cordiae'' {{small|(Stitz, 1913)}} * ''Cephalotes cordiventris'' {{small|(Santschi, 1931)}} * ''Cephalotes crenaticeps'' {{small|(Mayr, 1866)}} * ''Cephalotes cristatus'' {{small|(Emery, 1890)}} * ''Cephalotes curvistriatus'' {{small|(Forel, 1899)}} * ''Cephalotes decolor'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes decoloratus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes dentidorsum'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes depressus'' {{small|(Klug, 1824)}} * ''Cephalotes dorbignyanus'' {{small|(Smith, 1853)}} * ''Cephalotes duckei'' {{small|(Forel, 1906)}} * ''Cephalotes ecuadorialis'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes eduarduli'' {{small|(Forel, 1921)}} * ''Cephalotes emeryi'' {{small|(Forel, 1912)}} * ''Cephalotes fiebrigi'' {{small|(Forel, 1906)}} * ''Cephalotes flavigaster'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes foliaceus'' {{small|(Emery, 1906)}} * ''Cephalotes fossithorax'' {{small|(Santschi, 1921)}} * ''Cephalotes frigidus'' {{small|(Kempf, 1960)}} * ''Cephalotes gabicamacho'' {{small|Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021}}<ref name="Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021">{{Cite journal|last1=Machado Oliveira|first1=Aline|last2=Powell|first2=Scott|last3=Machado Feitosa|first3=Rodrigo|date=13 September 2021|title=A taxonomic study of the Brazilian turtle ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Cephalotes)|journal=Revista Brasileira de Entomologia|volume=65|issue=3|doi=10.1590/1806-9665-RBENT-2021-0028|doi-access=free}}</ref> * ''Cephalotes goeldii'' {{small|(Forel, 1912)}} * ''Cephalotes goniodontes'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes grandinosus'' {{small|(Smith, 1860)}} * ''Cephalotes guayaki'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes haemorrhoidalis'' {{small|(Latreille, 1802)}} * ''Cephalotes hamulus'' {{small|(Roger, 1863)}} * ''Cephalotes hirsutus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes inaequalis'' {{small|(Mann, 1916)}} * ''Cephalotes inca'' {{small|(Santschi, 1911)}} * ''Cephalotes incertus'' {{small|(Emery, 1906)}} * ''Cephalotes insularis'' {{small|(Wheeler, 1934)}} * ''Cephalotes jamaicensis'' {{small|(Forel, 1922)}} * ''Cephalotes jheringi'' {{small|(Emery, 1894)}} * ''Cephalotes klugi'' {{small|(Emery, 1894)}} * ''Cephalotes kukulcan'' {{small|Snelling, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes laminatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1860)}} * ''Cephalotes lanuginosus'' {{small|(Santschi, 1919)}} * ''Cephalotes lenca'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes liepini'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes liogaster'' {{small|(Santschi, 1916)}} * ''Cephalotes liviaprado'' {{small|Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021}}<ref name="Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021"/> * ''Cephalotes maculatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1876)}} * ''Cephalotes manni'' {{small|(Kempf, 1951)}} * ''Cephalotes marginatus'' {{small|(Fabricius, 1804)}} * ''Cephalotes mariadeandrade'' {{small|Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021}}<ref name="Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021"/> * ''Cephalotes marycorn'' {{small|Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021}}<ref name="Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021"/> * ''Cephalotes membranaceus'' {{small|(Klug, 1824)}} * ''Cephalotes minutus'' {{small|(Fabricius, 1804)}} * ''Cephalotes mompox'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes monicaulyssea'' {{small|Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021}}<ref name="Oliveira, Powell & Feitosa, 2021"/> * ''Cephalotes multispinosus'' {{small|(Norton, 1868)}} * ''Cephalotes nilpiei'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes notatus'' {{small|(Mayr, 1866)}} * ''Cephalotes oculatus'' {{small|(Spinola, 1851)}} * ''Cephalotes opacus'' {{small|Santschi, 1920}} * ''Cephalotes pallens'' {{small|(Klug, 1824)}} * ''Cephalotes pallidicephalus'' {{small|(Smith, 1876)}} * ''Cephalotes pallidoides'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes pallidus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes palta'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes palustris'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes patei'' {{small|(Kempf, 1951)}} * ''Cephalotes patellaris'' {{small|(Mayr, 1866)}} * ''Cephalotes pavonii'' {{small|(Latreille, 1809)}} * ''Cephalotes pellans'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes persimilis'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes persimplex'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes peruviensis'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes pileini'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes pilosus'' {{small|(Emery, 1896)}} * ''Cephalotes pinelii'' {{small|(Guerin-Meneville, 1844)}} * ''Cephalotes placidus'' {{small|(Smith, 1860)}} * ''Cephalotes porrasi'' {{small|(Wheeler, 1942)}}<ref name=newscientist/> * ''Cephalotes prodigiosus'' {{small|(Santschi, 1921)}} * ''Cephalotes pusillus'' {{small|(Klug, 1824)}} * ''Cephalotes quadratus'' {{small|(Mayr, 1868)}} * ''Cephalotes ramiphilus'' {{small|(Forel, 1904)}} * ''Cephalotes rohweri'' {{small|(Wheeler, 1916)}} * ''Cephalotes scutulatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1867)}} * ''Cephalotes serraticeps'' {{small|(Smith, 1858)}} * ''Cephalotes setulifer'' {{small|(Emery, 1894)}} * ''Cephalotes simillimus'' {{small|(Kempf, 1951)}} * ''Cephalotes sobrius'' {{small|(Kempf, 1958)}} * ''Cephalotes solidus'' {{small|(Kempf, 1974)}} * ''Cephalotes specularis'' {{small|Brandão ''et al.'', 2014}} * ''Cephalotes spinosus'' {{small|(Mayr, 1862)}} * ''Cephalotes supercilii'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes targionii'' {{small|(Emery, 1894)}} * ''Cephalotes texanus'' {{small|(Santschi, 1915)}} * ''Cephalotes toltecus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes trichophorus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * ''Cephalotes umbraculatus'' {{small|(Fabricius, 1804)}} * ''Cephalotes unimaculatus'' {{small|(Smith, 1853)}} * ''Cephalotes ustus'' {{small|(Kempf, 1973)}} * ''Cephalotes varians'' {{small|(Smith, 1876)}} * ''Cephalotes vinosus'' {{small|(Wheeler, 1936)}} * ''Cephalotes wheeleri'' {{small|(Forel, 1901)}} {{div col end}} [[File:Cephalotes alveolatus SMNSDO5691 profile.jpg|thumb|right|''Cephalotes alveolatus'']] [[File:Cephalotes caribicus SMNSDO5383 dorsal view.jpg|thumb|right|''Cephalotes caribicus'']] [[File:Cephalotes dieteri SMNSDO4162 profile.jpg|thumb|right|''Cephalotes dieteri'']] ===Fossil species=== The fossil record is restricted to the Miocene with species recovered from both Dominican and Mexican ambers. Species were initially described by Gijsbertus Vierbergen and Joachim Scheven (1995) whole placed the species into the genera ''Cephalotes'', ''Eucryptocerus'', ''Exocryptocerus'' and ''Zacryptocerus''. All four genera were revised four years later by Maria De Andrade and Cesare Baroni Urbani (1999, who synonymized them under ''Cephalotes''.<ref name="deAndrade1999">{{cite journal |last1=de Andrade |first1=M. L. |last2=Baroni Urbani |first2=C. |year=1999 |title=Diversity and adaptation in the ant genus ''Cephalotes'', past and present |journal=Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) |volume=271 |pages=537–538}}</ref> The Dominican amber species: {{div col}} * †''Cephalotes alveolatus'' {{small|(Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995)}} * †''Cephalotes bloosi'' {{small|Baroni Urbani, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes brevispineus'' {{small|De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes caribicus'' {{small|De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999}}<ref name="deAndrade1999"/> * †''Cephalotes dieteri'' {{small|De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999}}<ref name="deAndrade1999"/> * †''Cephalotes hispaniolicus'' {{small|De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999}}<ref name="deAndrade1999"/> * †''Cephalotes integerrimus'' {{small|(Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995)}} * †''Cephalotes jansei'' {{small|(Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995)}} * †''Cephalotes obscurus'' {{small|(Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995)}} * †''Cephalotes resinae'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes serratus'' {{small|(Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995)}} * †''Cephalotes squamosus'' {{small|(Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995)}} * †''Cephalotes sucinus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes taino'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} {{div col end}}

The Mexican amber species: * †''Cephalotes maya'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes olmecus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes poinari'' {{small|Baroni Urbani, 1999}} * †''Cephalotes ventriosus'' {{small|De Andrade, 1999}}

==See also== *''Aphantochilus'', a genus of crab spiders known to mimic ''Cephalotes'' species

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline|Cephalotes|''Cephalotes''}}

Category:Cephalotes Category:Myrmicinae Category:Ant genera Category:Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille