Atta

Fabricius, 1804

Atta Leaf-cutter Ants

Species Guides

Atta mexicana(Chicatana Leafcutter Ant)
Atta texana(Texas Leafcutter Ant)

is a of New World ants comprising at least 17 known . These ants are renowned for their sophisticated fungus-growing agriculture, cutting and carrying leaf fragments to underground gardens where they cultivate symbiotic fungi for food. Colonies can attain enormous sizes, with some species hosting millions of . The genus represents one of the most ecologically significant and evolutionarily advanced groups of social insects.

Atta mexicana by (c) Jake Nitta, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jake Nitta. Used under a CC-BY license.

Atta texana by (c) Blake Bringhurst, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Blake Bringhurst. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Atta: /ˈætə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

New World tropics and subtropics, ranging from the southern United States through Central America to South America.

Diet

Cultivated symbiotic fungi (Leucoagaricus and related ), grown on processed leaf substrate. The ants do not consume leaves directly; rather, leaves serve as compost for fungal gardens.

Human Relevance

Major agricultural pests in Latin America, capable of defoliating crops and forestry plantations. Some cause significant economic damage to citrus, coffee, and eucalyptus operations. The of soldiers have been used traditionally in parts of Central and South America to wounds.

Similar Taxa

AcromyrmexAlso fungus-growing leafcutter ants; distinguished by smaller body size, more variable coloration, and presence of spines on the and petiole that lacks.
TrachymyrmexSmaller fungus-growing ants that use insect and plant debris rather than fresh leaves as substrate; colonies are substantially smaller.