Atta colombica

Atta colombica
Atta colombica carrying a leaf segment
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Tribe: Attini
Genus: Atta
Species: A. colombica
Binomial name
Atta colombica
(Guérin-Méneville, 1844)[1]

Atta colombica is one of 41 species of leafcutter ant. This species is part of the Attini tribe (the fungus-growing ants).

Description

Workers of this species are maroon in colour, and are entirely matte, with no shiny spots.[1]

Distribution

Atta colombica cutting down a whole plant

This species ranges from Guatemala to Colombia,[1][2] and can also be found in Costa Rica.[1]

Nests

Atta colombica produces visible refuse dumps of spent fungus on the surface. These dumps often take the form of large, conical mounds, and are located to the side of the main soil mounds. Lines of workers carry the spent fungus from the nest to the dumps. They deposit the grayish-white pellets at the peak of the mounds, which produces the conical shape. This behaviour is different from A. cephalotes which deposit their refuse in subterranean dumps.[1]

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Formicidae: Atta colombica". Academic.evergreen.edu. October 8, 2003. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  2. "Species: Atta colombica". AntWeb. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2010-08-19.

External links

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