About Atta cephalotes

Leaf-cutter ants, such as Atta cephalotes, are among the most important herbivorous insects in the neotropics. These ants harvest vast quantities of fresh leaf material, which is used to cultivate a fungus that serves as the colony's primary food source. This obligate ant-fungus mutualism is one of the few occurrences of farming by non-humans and likely enabled the formation of their massive colonies. Leaf-cutter ant colonies display one of the most complex polymorphic caste systems, with workers ranging from small garden workers to large soldiers.

Picture credit (public domain): Scott Bauer (USDA) 2003

Taxonomy ID 12957

Data source Ant Genomes Portal

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