turtle ant

plural turtle ants

1. Any of the tree-dwelling ants of the tribe Cephalotini (genera Cephalotes and Procryptocerus).

   The crab spider of South America feeds mostly on turtle ants.

   2016, Mark E. Lasbury, The Realization of Star Trek Technologies, Springer, page 38

   2 more examples

   The species he concentrated on was Cephalotes atratus, a slate-black “turtle ant” with a flattened body. High-speed videos proved that when dislodged from a tree, a turtle ant stretches out her body and limbs and aligns herself with respect to the ground so that she doesn't turn head over heels.

   2010, Mark W. Moffett, Adventures among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions, University of California Press, page 137

   That's very much the case for the arboreal turtle ants in the tropical forests of Mexico, another species Gordon visits during her summers off from teaching.

   2017, Amina Khan, Adapt: How Humans Are Tapping into Nature's Secrets to Design and Build a Better Future, St. Martin's Press, page 213