Cephalotes dentidorsum

Cephalotes dentidorsum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Cephalotes
Species:	C. dentidorsum
Binomial name
	Cephalotes dentidorsum; De Andrade, 1999

Nothing is known about the biology of Cephalotes dentidorsum.

Identification

A member of the angustus clade differing from its sister species, Cephalotes adolphi, in the worker by the gaster very shining and smooth instead of opaque and sculptured.

Keys including this Species

Key to Cephalotes Species

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Neotropical Region: Ecuador, Peru (type locality).

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

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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. ‎

Castes

Known only from a single worker.

Nomenclature

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

dentidorsum. Cephalotes dentidorsum De Andrade, in De Andrade & Baroni Urbani, 1999: 734 (w.) PERU.
- Type-material: holotype worker.
- Type-locality: Peru: Valle Chanchamayo, 800 m., 1.viii.1939 (W. Weyrauch).
- Type-depository: MZSP.
- Status as species: Bezděčková, et al. 2015: 116.
- Distribution: Peru.

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

Description

Worker

The description given by de Andrade (1999) is Kempf's (1960) description of what was thought to be Cephalotes adolphi:

Total length 3.9 mm; maximum length of head 1.20 mm; maximum width of head in front of the eyes 1.23 mm; maximum diameter of eyes 0.29 mm; Weber's length of thorax 1.12 mm; maximum width of gaster 1.12 mm. Light ferruginous; frontal carinae, occipital lobes, tips of thoracic and pedicellar spines, extensor face of tibiae testaceous.

Head subquadrate, supopaque, slightly broader than long. Mandibles finely and densely punctate, opaque. Clypeal suture vestigial. Frontal carinae semitranslucid, weakly sculptured throughout, nearly smooth and shining; their anterior border feebly crenulate. Sides of head excised in front of eyes, conspicuously upturned above eyes. Occipital lobes semitranslucid, foliaceous, with irregularly crenate border. Disc of cephalic dorsum notably convex in both directions. Upper surface of head finely, densely yet not heavily reticulate-punctate, somewhat shining, with rather large oval foveolae. Cheeks marginate below, more heavily shagreened, opaque, densely foveolate. Gular surface practically devoid of sculpture, quite shining.

Thorax conspicuously narrower than head, finely reticulate-punctate, the microsculpture superficial to obsolescent on dorsum which therefore is quite shining, heavier on sides which are opaque. Scapular corner free, angulate, and subdentate. Sides of pronotum anteriorly with a prominent spiniform tooth, followed by a broad, apically rounded, and conspicuously upturned lobe. Promesonotal suture obsolete. Mesonotum at each side anteriorly with a short tooth. Mesoepinotal suture more or less vestigial, not impressed. Basal face of epinotum grading into declivous face; their lateral border anteriorly with a small tooth, followed by a prominent spiniform tooth, and, farther down the declivous face, two more or less vestigial denticles. Dorsum of thorax with rather curved, elongate oval foveolae. Laterotergite of pronotum longitudinally costate. Rest of sides with elongate, horizontal foveolae. Legs subopaque, weakly shagreened. Femora spindle-shaped. Tibiae not prismatic.

Petiolar and postpetiolar nodes with a prominent spiniform appendage at each side. Dorsum of petiole with a pair of minute denticles. Dorsum of body of postpetiole, as seen in profile, moderately convex. Gaster short, oval, with obsolescent microsculpture, with broad, well-developed, hyaline lamellate anterolateral crests. Setigerous foveolae not developed.

Erect hairs scarce, a row of short, club-shaped setae along the rim of the frontal carinae and the sides of head back to the occipital angle. Longer, rather pointed setae on apex of gaster. Ground pilosity consisting of pale golden, appressed scale-like setae, sparsely covering the body and appendages of the insect. These scales are more conspicuous and distinctly canaliculate when lying in the foveolae of the dorsum and cheeks of head and on the thorax.

Scales of gaster simple, finer, and not lying in foveolae.

Measurements (in mm) and indices: TL 4.00; HL 1.00; HW 1.20; EL 0.30; PW 0.91; PeW 0.62; PpW 0.66; HBaL 0.40; HBaW 0.08; CI 120.0; PI 133.3; PPeI 148.6; PPpI 137.9; HBaI 20.0.

Type Material

Worker (unique), Peru, Valle Chanchamayo, 800 m, l.VIII.1939, Weyrauch Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo.

Etymology

The species is named from the Latin dens (= tooth) and dorsum (back), referred to the characteristic pronotal spines.

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 734, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
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