Species: Cephalotes basalis

Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2013)

Distribution:

Mexico to Panama, Colombia?, Ecuador. Costa Rica: lowland wet and moist forest sites throughout the country.

Biology:

Natural History:

This species is commonly encountered as workers in recent treefalls or canopy fogging samples from mature rainforest. It can nest in either live or dead branches. I have the following nest collections:

Whole branch sample from canopy of Vochysia ferruginea. A nest occurred in a 1-5cm diameter dead stick, in a 50cm long chamber.

Pasture edge/primary forest. Nest in two internodes of Cecropia insignis sapling.

A 2m section of bare, dead branch had recently fallen from the canopy. I found various ant nests in different parts of the branch, including a C. basalis nest.

Recent treefall; C. basalis workers abundant; an extensive colony occupied the live stems of a bignoniaceous vine tangle; there were many large round entrance holes.

Carapa guianensis felled one day previously; tree was somewhat isolated in low second growth vegetation; C. basalis was nesting in a cavity in a 5cm diameter live branch of the Carapa tree.

References:

Andrade, M. L. de, and C. Baroni Urbani. 1999. Diversity and adaptation in the ant genus Cephalotes, past and present (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde Serie B (Geologie und Palaontologie) 271:1-889.

Emery, C. 1890. Studii sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 22:38-80.

Kempf, W. W. 1951. A taxonomic study on the ant tribe Cephalotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Entomol. (Rio J.) 22:1-244.

Smith, F. 1876. Descriptions of new species of Cryptoceridae, belonging to the genera Cryptocerus, Meranoplus, and Cataulacus. Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 1876:603-612.

Taxon Page Author History

Specimen Data Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 16 times found in montane wet forest, 2 times found in SURA 850M, 3 times found in CCL 840M, 3 times found in SSO 350m, 1 times found in STR, 2 times found in beach, 2 times found in tropical wet forest, 1 times found in Entre el SHO y SSE, 2 times found in 2º wet forest, 1 times found in lowland wet forest, ...

Collected most commonly using these methods or in the following microhabitats: 38 times fogging, 15 times Search, 14 times Malaise, 3 times Sweeping, 3 times Beating, 2 times Foggin, 1 times MiniWinkler

Elevations: collected from 40 - 1120 meters, 186 meters average

5 Specimens Imaged | View All 116 Specimens for this species

CASENT0217833

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CASENT0627933

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CASENT0627934

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CASENT0900246

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INBIOCRI002281627

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