Cephalotes cordatus

Cephalotes cordatus is a species of arboreal ant of the genus Cephalotes, characterized by an odd shaped head and the ability to "parachute" by steering through a long fall; thus their alternative name, gliding ants.^[1][2] The species is native across the north of South America, from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais to Venezuela, as well as in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.^[3] Their larger and flatter legs, a trait common with other members of the genus Cephalotes, gives them their gliding abilities.^[4]

Cephalotes cordatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Genus:	Cephalotes
Species:	C. cordatus
Binomial name
Cephalotes cordatus (Smith, 1853)

The species was first given a description and a classification by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1853.