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Cephalotes
| Cephalotes Temporal range: 20.43–0 Ma Miocene – Recent | |
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| Cephalotes atratus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Tribe: | Attini |
| Genus: | Cephalotes Latreille, 1802 |
| Type species | |
| Formica atrata, now Cephalotes atratus | |
| Diversity | |
| 123 species 16 fossil species (Species Checklist, Species by Country)
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| Synonyms | |
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Common in the New World tropics, Turtle ants have long attracted the attention of tropical biologists due to their unusual soldier caste with large armored heads that match the size and shape of their nest entrances. Nests occupy pre-existing arboreal cavities, and soldiers function as living doors to admit incoming foragers or exclude potential intruders.
Cephalotes (119 species) consume a mostly herbivorous diet supplemented by pollen, bird feces and vertebrate urine (e.g. Cephalotes atratus) (Baroni Urbani and de Andrade 1997; Powell 2008).
| At a Glance | • Phragmotic |
Photo Gallery
Cephalotes atratus dealate queen from Surinam. Copyright: Piotr Naskrecki
A young spider, Aphantochilus roguersi, of the family Thomisidae (crab spiders), a predator (and mimic) of Cephalotes, photographed in Manaus, Brazil, by Thiago Gomes de Carvalho.
Aphantochilus rogersi is a species of ant-mimicking crab spiders from South America. It is found from Panama to Paraguay. It mimics ants of the genus Cephalotes, which are their preferred prey. It has the unusual behaviour of carrying the dead husks of ants aloft like a protective umbrella. This may camouflage or hide its identity and allow it to approach and overpower other ants, or it may be a form of defence to protect itself from its enemies. Photo by Gil Wizen.
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Identification
De Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) assigned Cephalotes species to clades.
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See images of species within this genus |
Keys including this Genus
Keys to Species in this Genus
Distribution
Distribution and Richness based on AntMaps
Species by Region
Number of species within biogeographic regions, along with the total number of species for each region.
| Afrotropical Region | Australasian Region | Indo-Australian Region | Malagasy Region | Nearctic Region | Neotropical Region | Oriental Region | Palaearctic Region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 125 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Species | 2840 | 1735 | 3042 | 932 | 835 | 4378 | 1740 | 2862 |
Fossils
Fossils are known from: Dominican amber, Dominican Republic (Burdigalian, Early Miocene), Mexican amber, Chiapas, Mexico (Middle Miocene).
Biology
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Association with Other Organisms
Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.
Species Uncertain
- An unknown species is a host for the fungus Ophiocordyceps kniphofioides (a parasitoid) (Quevillon, 2018) (encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest).
All Associate Records for Genus
| Taxon | Relationship | Associate Type | Associate Taxon | Associate Relationship | Locality | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cephalotes | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps kniphofioides | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Beauveria bassiana | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission within nest | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps australis | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps cucumispora | pathogen | Araujo et al., 2018; Shrestha et al., 2017 | ||
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps evansii | pathogen | Sanjuan et al., 2015; Araujo et al., 2018; Shrestha et al., 2017 | ||
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps kniphofioides | pathogen | Shrestha et al., 2017 | ||
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps niphofioides | pathogen | Araujo et al., 2018; Shrestha et al., 2017 | ||
| Cephalotes atratus | host | fungus | Ophiocordyceps ovalispora var. ovalispora | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | nematode | Myrmeconema neotropicum | parasite | Peru, Panama | Poinar & Yanoviak, 2008 | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Apocephalus catholicus | parasite | Brown et al., 2015 | injured | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Apocephalus roeschardae | parasite | Brown et al., 2015 | injured | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Apocephalus roeschardae | parasite | phorid.net | attacked | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Diocophora sp. | parasite | Brown et al., 2015 | injured | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Diocophora sp. | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Megaselia sp. | parasite | Brown et al., 2015 | injured | |
| Cephalotes atratus | host | phorid fly | Megaselia sp. | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode primary; direct transmission; transmission outside nest | |
| Cephalotes minutus | host | nematode | Agamomermis cephaloti | parasite | Brazil | Poinar et al., 2006 | |
| Cephalotes serratus | host | nematode | Myrmeconema antiqua | parasitoid | Quevillon, 2018 | encounter mode unknown; indirect transmission; transmission outside nest | |
| Cephalotes serratus | host | nematode | Palaeoallantonema cephalotae | parasite | Dominican amber | Poinar, 2011; Quevillon, 2018 | Dominican amber; encounter mode unknown; indirect transmission; transmission outside nest |
| Cephalotes specularis | xenobiont | ant | Crematogaster ampla | host | Brazil | Brandao et al., 2014; Powell et al., 2014 | |
| Cephalotes varians | xenobiont | ant | Tapinoma litorale | xenobiont |
Life History Traits
- Mean colony size: ~10000 (Greer et al., 2021)
- Compound colony type: not parasitic (Greer et al., 2021)
- Nest site: arboreal (Greer et al., 2021)
- Diet class: herbivore (Greer et al., 2021)
- Foraging stratum: arboreal (Greer et al., 2021)
- Foraging behaviour: cooperative (Greer et al., 2021)
Castes
Powell (2016) studied how nesting ecology in Cephalotes has shaped the diversification of an elaborate soldier caste. The evolution of morphologically specialized soldier heads was associated with substantial shifts in nest-entrance preferences, and in many species there is a match between head sizes and entrance sizes. These findings suggest the general hypothesis that the evolution of novel caste types is driven by major shifts in ecological specialization, while the size distribution of existing castes tracks minor shifts in resource use.
Morphology
Worker Morphology
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• Eyes: >100 ommatidia • Pronotal Spines: dentiform; present • Mesonotal Spines: absent • Propodeal Spines: absent; present • Petiolar Spines: absent • Caste: polymorphic • Sting: absent • Metaplural Gland: present • Cocoon: absent
Karyotype
All Karyotype Records for Genus
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| Taxon | Haploid | Diploid | Karyotype | Locality | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cephalotes pusillus | 22 | 44 | 28M+16A | Brazil | Cristiano et al., 2017 |
Phylogeny
| Myrmicinae |
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See Phylogeny of Myrmicinae for details.
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- CEPHALOTES [Myrmicinae: Cephalotini]
- Cephalotes Latreille, 1802a: 357. Type-species: Formica atrata, by monotypy.
- [Type-species not Formica cephalotes, unjustified subsequent designation by Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 160; corrected by Wheeler, W.M. 1913a: 78.]
- Cephalotes junior synonym of Cryptocerus: Fabricius, 1804: 419.
- Cephalotes senior synonym of Cryptocerus: Wheeler, W.M. 1913a: 78; Smith, M.R. 1949c: 19; Kempf, 1951: 107.
- Cephalotes senior synonym of Eucryptocerus, †Exocryptocerus, Zacryptocerus (and its junior synonyms Cyathocephalus, Cyathomyrmex, Harnedia, Hypocryptocerus, Paracryptocerus): De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- CRYPTOCERUS [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Cryptocerus Latreille, 1803: 311. Type-species: Formica atrata, by subsequent designation of Latreille, 1810: 437.
- [Type-species not Cryptocerus umbraculatus, unjustified subsequent designation by Emery, 1914c: 38; repeated in Emery, 1924d: 305.]
- Cryptocerus junior synonym of Cephalotes: Wheeler, W.M. 1913a: 78; Smith, M.R. 1949c: 19; see also discussion in Kempf, 1951: 105. [Cephalotes and Cryptocerus share the same type-species, synonymy is therefore absolute.]
- CYATHOMYRMEX [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Cyathomyrmex Creighton, 1933: 100 [as subgenus of Cryptocerus]. Replacement name for Cyathocephalus Emery, above. [Junior homonym of Cyathocephalus Kessler, 1868: 135 (Cestoda).]
- Cyathomyrmex subgenus of Paracryptocerus: Smith, M.R. 1949c: 21.
- Cyathomyrmex junior synonym of Paracryptocerus: Kempf, 1972a: 175.
- Cyathomyrmex junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- EUCRYPTOCERUS [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Eucryptocerus Kempf, 1951: 127. Type-species: Cryptocerus oculatus, by original designation.
- Eucryptocerus junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- †EXOCRYPTOCERUS [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- †Exocryptocerus Vierbergen & Scheven, 1995: 159. Type-species: †Exocryptocerus serratus, by original designation.
- †Exocryptocerus junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- HARNEDIA [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Harnedia Smith, M.R. 1949c: 20 [as subgenus of Paracryptocerus]. Type-species: Cryptocerus umbraculatus, by original designation.
- Harnedia junior synonym of Paracryptocerus: Kempf, 1972a: 175.
- Harnedia junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- HYPOCRYPTOCERUS [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Hypocryptocerus Wheeler, W.M. 1920: 53 [as subgenus of Cryptocerus]. Type-species: Formica haemorrhoidalis, by original designation.
- Hypocryptocerus raised to genus: Wheeler, W.M. 1936b: 200.
- Hypocryptocerus junior synonym of Zacryptocerus: Kempf, 1973c: 460.
- Hypocryptocerus junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- PARACRYPTOCERUS [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Paracryptocerus Emery, 1915i: 192 [as subgenus of Cryptocerus]. Type-species: Cryptocerus spinosus, by original designation.
- Paracryptocerus raised to genus: Smith, M.R. 1949c: 20; Kempf, 1951: 153.
- Paracryptocerus senior synonym of Cyathocephalus (homonym), Cyathomyrmex, Harnedia: Kempf, 1972a: 175.
- Paracryptocerus junior synonym of Zacryptocerus: Kempf, 1973c: 460.
- Paracryptocerus junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
- ZACRYPTOCERUS [junior synonym of Cephalotes]
- Zacryptocerus Wheeler, W.M. 1911f: 175 (see also footnote). Type-species: Cryptocerus clypeatus, by original designation.
- [Zacryptocerus Ashmead, 1905b: 384. Nomen nudum. (Based on a non-existent type-species: Cryptocerus multistrigus. Nomen nudum, attributed to Smith, F.).]
- Zacryptocerus senior synonym of Hypocryptocerus, Paracryptocerus (and its junior synonyms Cyathomyrmex, Cyathocephalus (homonym), Harnedia): Kempf, 1973c: 460.
- Zacryptocerus junior synonym of Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 59.
References
- Baigorria, J.A., Rubio, G.D., Stolar, C.E., Oklander, L.I. 2021. Notes on the jumping spider Corythalia conferta (Araneae: Salticidae), a possible myrmecophagous specialist in Argentina. Peckhamia 230.1, 1-12.
- Barcoto, M.O., Carlos-Shanley, C., Fan, H., Ferro, M., Nagamoto, N.S., Bacci, M., Currie, C.R., Rodrigues, A. 2020. Fungus-growing insects host a distinctive microbiota apparently adapted to the fungiculture environment. Scientific Reports 10: 12384 (doi:10.1038/S41598-020-68448-7).
- Barden, P. 2017. Fossil ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): ancient diversity and the rise of modern lineages. Myrmecological News 24: 1-30.
- Baroni Urbani C., de Andrade M.L. 1997. Pollen Eating, Storing, and Spitting by Ants. Naturwissenschaften 84: 256–258.
- Baroni Urbani, C.; de Andrade, M. L. 1999. [Untitled. Cephalotes bloosi Baroni Urbani & de Andrade new species.] Pp. 549-551 in: De Andrade, M. L., Baroni Urbani, C. Diversity and adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present. Stuttg. Beitr. (page 59, Cephalotes senior synonym of Eucryptocerus, *Bolton, B. 2003. Synopsis and Classification of Formicidae. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 71: 370pp (page 194, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cephalotini [Type-species not Formica cephalotes, unjustified subsequent designation by Wheeler, W.M. 1911:160; corrected by Wheeler, W.M. 1913:78.])
- Boudinot, B.E. 2019. Hormigas de Colombia. Cap. 15. Clave para las subfamilias y generos basada en machos. Pp. 487-499 in: Fernández, F., Guerrero, R.J., Delsinne, T. (eds.) 2019d. Hormigas de Colombia. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 1198 pp.
- Burchill, A.T., Moreau, C.S. 2016. Colony size evolution in ants: macroevolutionary trends. Insectes Sociaux 63, 291–298 (doi:10.1007/s00040-016-0465-3).
- Cantone S. 2017. Winged Ants, The Male, Dichotomous key to genera of winged male ants in the World, Behavioral ecology of mating flight (self-published).
- Cantone S. 2018. Winged Ants, The queen. Dichotomous key to genera of winged female ants in the World. The Wings of Ants: morphological and systematic relationships (self-published).
- Chanson, A., Moreau, C.S., Duplais, C. 2023. Impact of nesting mode, diet, and taxonomy in structuring the associated microbial communities of Amazonian ants. Diversity 15, 126 (doi:10.3390/d15020126).
- Dlussky, G. M.; Fedoseeva, E. B. 1988. Origin and early stages of evolution in ants. Pp. 70-144 in: Ponomarenko, A. G. (ed.) Cretaceous biocenotic crisis and insect evolution. Moskva: Nauka, 232 pp. (page 79, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cryptocerini (anachronism))
- Emery, C. 1914e. Intorno alla classificazione dei Myrmicinae. Rend. Sess. R. Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna Cl. Sci. Fis. (n.s.) 18: 29-42 (page 42, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cryptocerini)
- Emery, C. 1924f [1922]. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Myrmicinae. [concl.]. Genera Insectorum 174C: 207-397 (page 303, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cryptocerini)
- Exocryptocerus, Zacryptocerus (and its junior synonyms Cyathocephalus, Cyathomyrmex, Harnedia, Hypocryptocerus, Paracryptocerus))
- Fabricius, J. C. 1804. Systema Piezatorum secundum ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Brunswick: C. Reichard, xiv + 15-439 + 30 pp. (page 419, Cephalotes as junior synonym of Cryptocerus)
- Fernandez, F., Guerrero, R.J., Sánchez-Restrepo, A.F. 2021. Sistemática y diversidad de las hormigas neotropicales. Revista Colombiana de Entomología 47, 1–20 (doi:10.25100/socolen.v47i1.11082).
- Forel, A. 1917. Cadre synoptique actuel de la faune universelle des fourmis. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat. 51: 229-253 (page 246, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cryptocerini)
- Hanisch, P.E., Sosa-Calvo, J., Schultz, T.R. 2022. The last piece of the puzzle? Phylogenetic position and natural history of the monotypic fungus-farming ant genus Paramycetophylax (Formicidae: Attini). Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (1): 11:1-17 (doi:10.1093/isd/ixab029).
- Hespenheide, H.A. 1986. Mimicry of ants of the genus Zacryptocerus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 94: 394-408.
- Jansen, G., Savolainen, R. 2010. Molecular phylogeny of the ant tribe Myrmicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160(3), 482–495 (doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00604.x).
- Kempf, W. W. 1951. A taxonomic study on the ant tribe Cephalotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Entomol. (Rio J.) 22: 1-244 (page 105, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cephalotini)
- Latreille, P.A. 1802. Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des Crustacés et des insectes. Tome 3. Familles naturelles des genres. Paris: F. Dufart, xii + 467 pp.
- Powell, S. 2008. Ecological specialization and the evolution of a specialized caste in Cephalotes ants. Functional Ecology, 22: 902–911.
- Powell, S. 2016. A comparative perspective on the ecology of morphological diversification in complex societies: nesting ecology and soldier evolution in the turtle ants. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70: 1075–1085.
- Ramalho, M.O., Duplais, C., Orivel, J., Dejean, A., Gibson, J.C., Suarez, A.V., Moreau, C.S. 2020. Development but not diet alters microbial communities in the Neotropical arboreal trap jaw ant Daceton armigerum: an exploratory study. Scientific Reports 10, 7350 (doi:10.1038/s41598-020-64393-7).
- Smith, M. R. 1949c. On the status of Cryptocerus Latreille and Cephalotes Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche (Camb.) 56: 18-21 (page 19, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cephalotini; Cephalotes senior synonym of Cryptocerus)
- Wheeler, W. M. 1913a. Corrections and additions to "List of type species of the genera and subgenera of Formicidae". Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 23: 77-83 (page 78, Cephalotes senior synonym of Cryptocerus)
- Wheeler, W. M. 1922i. Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. A contribution to the myrmecology of Africa. VII. Keys to the genera and subgenera of ants. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 45: 631-710 (page 665, Cephalotes in Myrmicinae, Cryptocerini)
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- Dominican amber fossil
- Miocene
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- Host of Ophiocordyceps kniphofioides
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