New-world-ants
Guides
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.
Pheidole barbata
Bearded Big-headed Ant
Pheidole barbata is a species of big-headed ant in the genus Pheidole, first described by Wheeler in 1908. The common name "Bearded Big-headed Ant" refers to distinctive pilosity characteristic of this species. As with other members of its hyperdiverse genus, it exhibits the characteristic dimorphic worker caste system with minor workers and major soldiers bearing disproportionately enlarged heads. The species belongs to the Myrmicinae subfamily and is part of the Attini tribe, though it is not a fungus-growing ant like the true attines.