ATTA LEAF-CUTTER ANTS

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

• Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

• Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

• Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

• Superfamily Formicoidea

• Ants (Family Formicidae)

• Myrmicine Ants (Subfamily Myrmicinae)

• Atta Leaf-cutter Ants (Genus Atta)

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Genus Atta comprises the largest and most well-known leafcutter ants in the family Formicidae. Native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, these ants are famous for harvesting vast quantities of leaves, flowers, and other plant material to cultivate a symbiotic fungus that serves as the colony's primary food source. Colonies of Atta are among the largest and most complex insect societies, often containing hundreds of thousands to several million individuals divided into specialized castes, including tiny gardeners, medium-sized workers, large soldiers, and reproductive queens and males. Their nests are immense underground structures with extensive tunnel networks and numerous chambers devoted to fungus cultivation, brood care, and waste disposal.