''Cephalotes rohweri'' 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 ant
Gliding ants are arboreal ants of several different genera that are able to control the direction of their descent when falling from a tree. Living in the rainforest canopy like many other gliders, gliding ants use their gliding to return to the ...
s.
Characteristics
''C. rohweri'' is most commonly found in the
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...
, where it establishes nests in abandoned beetle cavities in
Palo Verde trees (''
Parkinsonia florida
''Parkinsonia florida'', the blue palo verde ( syn. ''Cercidium floridum''), is a species of palo verde native to the Sonoran Deserts in the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. '' or ''
Cercidium floridum
''Parkinsonia florida'', the blue palo verde ( syn. ''Cercidium floridum''), is a species of palo verde native to the Sonoran Deserts in the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. '').
They feed primarily on the pollen of these trees, and thus have little or no need to venture to the ground. However, they are capable of consuming other foods, and it has even been suggested that they may occasionally forage on the ground to do so. Colonies range in size between ~50-200/300 individuals, and frequently have multiple reproductive queens. Because brood require several months to mature into adults, queens cannot adjust the ratio of soldiers to workers quickly enough to adapt to changing threats. Therefore, an effective strategy of soldier (major) deployment has evolved to maximize survival.
[Creighton, W. S., & Nutting, W. L. (1965). The Habits and Distribution of Cryptocerus Rohweri Wheeler (Hymnoptera: Formicidae). PSYCHE, March, 59-63.]
References
External links
*
rohweri
{{Cephalotes-stub