Cephalotes emeryi

Cephalotes emeryi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Cephalotes
Species:	C. emeryi
Binomial name
Cephalotes emeryi (Forel, 1912) Specimen Labels

Nothing is known about the biology of Cephalotes emeryi.

Identification

A member of the emeryi clade differing from the other two species of the clade by the absence of long, flexuous hairs. (de Andrade and Baroni Urbani 1999)

Keys including this Species

• Key to Cephalotes Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 18.7942° to 18.77°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Lesser Antilles, Mexico.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Explore Overview of Cephalotes biology  The biology of many Cephalotes species is not known. Ants in this genus are common in the New World tropics and subtropics and are especially abundant and diverse in the canopies of Neotropical forests. The majority of species are arboreal. Species that live in other strata inhabit smaller trees, bushes or grass stems. These noon-arboreal species, due to their accessibility, are among the better studied members of the genus. There are also species that can be found in downed wood but it is likely the wood housed the colony before it fell to the ground. Soil nests are not known for any species nor do most species appear to extensively excavate plant tissue. They nest instead in preformed cavities. Overall, ants in the genus utilize a wide range of plants. Some species are predictable in their plant use but none appear to have evolved specialized mutualisms with particular plant species. Worker castes typically include two forms, a worker and soldier, but there are a few species that are monomorphic. The larger soldier caste typically has an enlarged head disk. In some species the head of the soldier is very different from the worker while in others these differences are less pronounced. Queens and soldiers tend to share similar head morphology. Soldiers use their heads to plug the nest entrance. This can be very effective in excluding potential intruders. Other morphological differences between the worker castes are present but these differences have not been studied as well as head moprhology. The behavioral repertoire of Cephalotes varians has been examined in great detail (ethograms from Wilson 1976, Cole 1980 and Cole 1983). Soldiers do little else besides defend the nest. This specialized soldier behavior is presumed to be the norm for most species. An especially interesting behavior occurs when workers are dislodged from trees: they "fly" towards the tree, often grabbing the trunk well above the ground (video). Mature nest size varies, by species, from less than a hundred to many thousands of workers. Available evidence suggests most species are monogynous. Queens may mate with multiple males. The proventriculus of the Cephalotes is peculiar relative to other ants. The morphology of the structure suggests it serves as a powerful pump and filter. This does not appear to lead these ants to have a highly specialized diet as most species appear to be general scavengers. Foragers have been observed feeding on carrion, bird feces, extrafloral nectaries and even tending membracids. Pollen feeding has been observed in some species, and this is somewhat specialized for ants, but it is not evident that any species restricts its diet to this resource in any significant way. Evidence for pollen feeding in Cephalotes has accumulated, in part, via finding digested pollen grains seen in infrabucal pellets. It has been suggested that the morphology of the proventriculus is a specialization for processing pollen. More research examining all aspects of the biology of Cephalotes is needed. Our present understanding of these ants is largely based on species that live in locations other than the forest canopy, which is where Cephalotes are most common and diverse. ‎

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• emeryi. Cryptocerus emeryi Forel, 1912e: 203 (w.) NETHERLANDS ANTILLES (Curaçao).
  • Type-material: lectotype worker (by designation of Kempf, 1951: 234), 2 paralectotype workers.
  • Type-locality: lectotype Netherlands Antilles: Curaçao (Landolt), paralectotypes with same data.
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Combination in Paracryptocerus (Harnedia): Kempf, 1951: 233;
  • combination in Zacryptocerus: Brandão, 1991: 386;
  • combination in Cephalotes: De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 521.
  • Status as species: Emery, 1924d: 309; Kempf, 1951: 233 (redescription); Kempf, 1972a: 177; Brandão, 1991: 386; Bolton, 1995b: 425; De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 521 (redescription).
  • Distribution: Curaçao.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Kempf (1951) - Length 5.3 mm. Median head length 1.24 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.51 mm. Black; tip of last funicular segment and apical tarsal segments dark ferruginous. Tips of mandibles rufous-brown.

Head subopaque, subquadrate; its maximum length slightly longer than the interocular width (61 :58). Mandibles rugulose. Frontal carinae not transparent nor membranous, their lateral border vestigially crenulate in front, slightly diverging behind, sinuate, scarcely upturned above the eyes. Occipital angles obliquely truncate, not serrated nor notched. Eyes small, greatly convex, their greatest diameter less than 1/4 of the median head length. Upper surface of head somewhat convex discad, flatter towards the sides, finely reticulate-punctate, sparsely covered with squamiferous foveolae, which are slightly denser and encircled by a raised network of rugae towards the sides and the occiput. Vertex with a more or less vestigial pair of small denticles.

Thorax subopaque. Anterior border moderately arcuate. Shoulders angulate. Sides of pronotum with a flat, narrow, rectangular projecting lamella, the posterior border of which is emarginate and converges obliquely toward the posterior, rectangular corner of the pronotum. Promesonotal suture vestigial. Mesonotum with a faint denticle on each side. Mesoepinotal suture deeply impressed laterad, obsolescent mesad. Anterior corner of basal face of epinotum sharply rectangular, the sides with a strongly projecting rectangular tooth. Declivous face more or less differentiated from the basal face. Dorsum of thorax finely reticulate-punctate, coarsely areolate-rugose, each areole containing a squamiferous foveola. Basal face of epinotum longitudinally striato-rugose. Declivous face without distinct macro sculpture and pilosity. Sides of thorax rather coarsely and more or less longitudinally rugose. Femora not angulate above at half. Hind basitarsus little compressed and broadened.

Peduncular segments subopaque, dorso-lateral sculpture as on dorsum of thorax. Petiole narrower than the postpetiole, its anterior face obliquely truncate, finely reticulate-punctate, without macrosculpture nor pilosity. Anterior corners rounded, the sides with a small tooth, constricted and converging behind the tooth. Postpetiole with a stout, thick, lateral, triangular tooth, arising from the anterior corner, pointin g obliquely backwards and sidewards. Dorsal face with a pair of vestigial longitudinal ridges.

Gaster short, elliptical, subopaque, slightly emarginate in front mesad, not extremely convex above, the length: depth proportion being more than 1.5 (69:43). The anterolateral border sharply marginate, not crested. First gastral tergite finely reticulate-punctate, longitudinally rugulose. Sculpture evanescent discally, where the integument is almost smooth and subfulgid.

Sides of head, including the truncate occipital corners, sparsely beset with short, thick, whitish, projecting setulae. Upper surface of head, thorax, peduncle, and gaster with long, flat, decumbent, light, aureate, scale-like hairs, which are longitudinally canaliculate. Scales very dense on the basal face of the epinotum and the peripheral portions of the first gastral tergite. Scales sparser on the sides of the thorax. Small and sparse on the appendages.

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 5.20-5.78; HL 1.24-1.36; HW 1.44-1.58; EL 0.32-0.34; PW 1.32-1.48; PeW 0.51-0.63; PpW 0.55-0.62; HBaL 0.49-0.52; HBaW 0.15-0.16; CI 116.1-116.2; PI 106.7-109.1; PPeI 234.9-258.8; PPpI 238.7-240.0; HBaI 30.6-30.8.

Type Material

de Andrade and Baroni Urbani (1999) - Worker. Type locality: Cural;ao. Type material: lectotype worker designated by Kempf, 1951 and two syntype workers from Curacao (Landolt) in Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, examined.

References

• de Andrade, M. L.; Baroni Urbani, C. 1999. Diversity and adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde Series B (Geolgie and Palaontologie). 271:1-889. (page 521, Combination in Cephalotes)
• Brandão, C. R. F. 1991. Adendos ao catálogo abreviado das formigas da região Neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412 (page 386, Combination in Zacryptocerus)
• Forel, A. 1912f. Formicides néotropiques. Part II. 3me sous-famille Myrmicinae Lep. (Attini, Dacetii, Cryptocerini). Mém. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 19: 179-209 (page 203, worker described)
• Kempf, W. W. 1951. A taxonomic study on the ant tribe Cephalotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Entomol. (Rio J.) 22: 1-244 (page 233, Combination in Paracryptocerus)
• Varela-Hernández, F., Medel-Zosayas, B., Martínez-Luque, E.O., Jones, R.W., De la Mora, A. 2020. Biodiversity in central Mexico: Assessment of ants in a convergent region. Southwestern Entomologist 454: 673-686.
• Wetterer, J.K. 2021. Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of St. Vincent, West Indies. Sociobiology 68, e6725 (doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v68i2.6725).

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
• Dattilo W. et al. 2019. MEXICO ANTS: incidence and abundance along the Nearctic-Neotropical interface. Ecology https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2944
• Forel A. 1912. Formicides néotropiques. Part II. 3me sous-famille Myrmicinae Lep. (Attini, Dacetii, Cryptocerini). Mémoires de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 19: 179-209.
• Kempf W. W. 1951. A taxonomic study on the ant tribe Cephalotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Revista de Entomologia (Rio de Janeiro) 22:1-244
• Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
• Mirmecofauna de la reserva ecologica de San Felipe Bacalar
• Vásquez-Bolaños M. 2011. Lista de especies de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) para México. Dugesiana 18: 95-133
• de Andrade, M.L. & C. Baroni Urbani. 1999. Diversity and Adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde Serie B 271. 893 pages, Stuttgart