Kingdom Animalia Family Formicidae Tribe Attini Scientific name Atta colombica Rank Species | Class Insecta Subfamily Myrmicinae Genus Atta Phylum Arthropoda Order Hymenopterans | |
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Similar Atta, Atta cephalotes, Fungus‑growing ants, Acromyrmex, Hymenopterans | ||
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Atta colombica is one of 41 species of leafcutter ant. This species is part of the Attini tribe (the fungus-growing ants).
Contents
- 50th subscriber special atta colombica leaf cutter ants thanks
- Description
- Distribution
- Nests
- References
Description
Workers of this species are maroon in colour, and are entirely matte, with no shiny spots.
Distribution
This species ranges from Guatemala to Colombia, and can also be found in Costa Rica.
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.
References
Atta colombica Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA