Attini
Guides
Acromyrmex versicolor
Desert Leaf-cutter Ant, Desert Leafcutting Ant
Acromyrmex versicolor is a desert-adapted leafcutter ant found in the Colorado and Sonoran deserts. Colonies exhibit pleometrosis, where multiple queens cooperate to found nests, though typically only one queen survives to establish a mature monogynous colony. Workers collect living and dead leaves to cultivate fungus gardens, the sole food source for the colony. The species is notable for forming large, distinctive nest craters covered with leaf fragments and for its flexible foraging behavior that shifts between diurnal and nocturnal activity depending on temperature.
Atta
Atta Leaf-cutter Ants
Atta is a genus of New World ants comprising at least 17 known species. 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 workers. The genus represents one of the most ecologically significant and evolutionarily advanced groups of social insects.
Atta texana
Texas Leafcutter Ant, Town Ant, Parasol Ant, Fungus Ant, Cut Ant, Night Ant
Atta texana is a fungus-farming leafcutter ant and the northernmost species in the genus Atta, distributed across Texas, Louisiana, and northeastern Mexico. Colonies are large and polygynous, containing several queens and up to several million workers. Foragers harvest leaf material from over 200 plant species to cultivate symbiotic fungus gardens, making this species a significant agricultural and ornamental pest capable of defoliating a citrus tree within 24 hours.
Attina
Fungus-growing Ants
Attina is a subtribe of fungus-growing ants within the subfamily Myrmicinae, comprising all known ant species that participate in obligate ant-fungus mutualism. These ants cultivate fungi as their sole food source, with leafcutter ants (genera Atta and Acromyrmex) being the most well-known members. The subtribe is sister to Dacetina and represents one of only two known groups of organisms (along with humans) that practice agriculture. Attina ants are native to the New World tropics and subtropics, where they play significant roles in nutrient cycling and soil modification.
Billbrownia
Billbrownia is a genus of fungus-growing ants in the family Formicidae, subfamily Myrmicinae, and tribe Attini. The genus was established to accommodate species previously classified under other attine genera, particularly those with distinctive morphological features. These ants engage in the cultivation of fungal gardens, a defining characteristic of the Attini tribe. The genus remains relatively understudied compared to more prominent attine genera such as Atta and Acromyrmex.
Cyphomyrmex minutus
Minute Fungus-farming Ant
Cyphomyrmex minutus is a species of fungus-farming ant in the tribe Attini, characterized by its small size and specialized cultivation of fungal gardens. The species is native to the Americas and has been documented across a broad geographic range from the United States through Central America to northern South America. Like other members of its genus, it maintains obligate mutualistic relationships with cultivated fungi, which serve as the primary food source for the colony. The species is one of numerous Cyphomyrmex taxa that have been historically understudied due to their cryptic nesting habits and small worker size.
Cyphomyrmex rimosus
Rimose Fungus-farming Ant
Cyphomyrmex rimosus is a fungus-growing ant in the tribe Attini, native to the Neotropics. It is a small, slow-moving species that cultivates fungal gardens for food. Colonies are typically small, with fewer than 500 workers. Workers are known to feign death when disturbed, remaining immobile for extended periods.
Cyphomyrmex wheeleri
Wheeler's Fungus-farming Ant, fungus gardening ant
Cyphomyrmex wheeleri is a fungus-farming ant species in the family Formicidae, described by Forel in 1900. This species cultivates a diverse array of fungi year-round, including Cladosporium cladosporioides, Fusarium solani, and Nigrospora sphaerica. As a member of the Attini tribe, it represents one of the more derived fungus-growing ants within the genus Cyphomyrmex.
Eurhopalothrix
Eurhopalothrix is a genus of small myrmicine ants in the tribe Attini. Species are characterized by distinctive shield-like facial structures with reduced eyes and specialized mandibular dentition. The genus occurs primarily in the Neotropics, with documented records from Central America through northern South America and into the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and temperate grasslands of Argentina. Several species have been described in recent taxonomic revisions, including 33 new species from Central America documented by Jack Longino.
Eurhopalothrix floridana
Eurhopalothrix floridana is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae, originally described by Brown & Kempf in 1960. It belongs to the genus Eurhopalothrix, a group of small, cryptic ants within the Attini tribe. The species is known from the Dominican Republic, with records from the Jardín Botánico Nacional in Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Very little biological information has been published about this species; it has been mentioned in taxonomic literature primarily in comparative studies of male morphology.
Pheidole cerebrosior
Pheidole cerebrosior is a species of higher myrmicine ant in the family Formicidae, described by Wheeler in 1915. It belongs to the hyperdiverse genus Pheidole, which is characterized by worker polymorphism with distinct major and minor castes. The species is part of the Attini tribe, which includes the well-known fungus-growing ants, though Pheidole species are not fungus-growers themselves. Information regarding its biology, ecology, and distribution remains limited in the available literature.
Pheidole obtusospinosa
Blunt-spined Big-headed Ant
Pheidole obtusospinosa is a species of big-headed ant in the genus Pheidole, characterized by soldier ants with enlarged, squared heads used for nest defense. The species belongs to the hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole, which contains over 1,000 species globally. Soldiers of this species have been observed using their modified heads to block nest entrances against intruders, particularly army ants such as Eciton burchelli. The species was described by Pergande in 1896.
Pheidole porcula
Pheidole porcula is a species of big-headed ant in the genus Pheidole, described by Wheeler in 1908. As a member of this hyperdiverse ant genus, it exhibits the characteristic worker polymorphism with distinct major and minor worker castes. The species is placed within the tribe Attini, though unlike the well-known fungus-growing ants in this tribe, most Pheidole species are generalist foragers. Specific details about its biology and ecology remain poorly documented in available literature.
Pheidole sitiens
Pheidole sitiens is a species of big-headed ant described by E.O. Wilson in 2003. As a member of the hyperdiverse genus Pheidole, it exhibits the characteristic dimorphic worker caste system with minor workers and major workers (soldiers) bearing disproportionately large heads. The species is part of the Attini tribe within Myrmicinae, placing it among the fungus-growing ants, though specific details about its biology remain poorly documented.
Pheidole tepicana
Tepic Big-headed Ant
Pheidole tepicana is a species of big-headed ant in the genus Pheidole, first described by Pergande in 1896. It belongs to the hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole, which contains over 1,000 species and is characterized by its dimorphic worker castes. The species is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, placing it within a region of high native ant diversity.
Strumigenys dietrichi
Dietrich's Mustache Ant
Strumigenys dietrichi is a species of trap-jaw ant in the genus Strumigenys, described by Smith in 1931. Like other members of this genus, it possesses elongated mandibles capable of rapid closure to capture prey. The species has been placed in synonymy with Pyramica dietrichi in some taxonomic treatments, reflecting ongoing taxonomic revisions within this ant group. Very few observations exist in public databases, suggesting it may be naturally rare or undercollected.
Strumigenys pilinasis
Hairy-snouted Mustache Ant
Strumigenys pilinasis is a species of trap-jaw ant in the family Formicidae, first described by Auguste Forel in 1901. The species is characterized by its distinctive pilose (hairy) snout, which gives rise to its common name. Like other members of the genus Strumigenys, it possesses elongated mandibles capable of rapid closure to capture prey. The species has been historically classified under the genus Pyramica, which is now treated as a synonym of Strumigenys. It belongs to a diverse genus containing over 850 described species, many of which remain poorly known.
Strumigenys rostrata
rostrata-group Mustache Ants
Strumigenys rostrata is a species of trap-jaw ant in the family Formicidae, originally described by Emery in 1895. It belongs to a species complex characterized by specialized mandible morphology. The species has undergone taxonomic revision, with some sources listing it as a synonym of related species while others maintain its accepted status. Members of this species group are distributed across multiple biogeographic regions including the Malagasy, Oriental, Malesian, East Palaearctic and Nearctic regions.
Strumigenys superstes
Strumigenys superstes is a species of trap-jaw ant in the genus Strumigenys, described by Booher and Uhey in 2020. The species name 'superstes' is Latin for 'survivor,' referencing its persistence in a challenging environment. Like other members of its genus, this ant possesses specialized elongated mandibles capable of rapid closure to capture prey. The species belongs to the diverse myrmicine ant fauna, with the genus Strumigenys containing over 850 described species worldwide.