| Cephalotes nilpiei | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Genus: | Cephalotes |
| Species: | C. nilpiei |
| Binomial name | |
| Cephalotes nilpiei De Andrade, 1999 | |
Cephalotes nilpiei 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. They're also known as gliding ants. [1] [2] The species is native of the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. [3] Their larger and flatter legs, a trait common with other members of the genus Cephalotes, gives them their gliding abilities and eases their arboreal movement. [4]
The species was first given a description and a classification in 1845 by French entomologist Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville. Guérin-Méneville erroneously classed the specimen he described as a member of the species Cephalotes pinelii . Brazilian entomologist Maria de Andrade studied the species once again in 1999 and gave it the name nilpiei, an anagram of pinelii. The closest relative of nilpiei is Cephalotes pinelii . [5]