Hairy-headed Leafcutter Ant
Atta cephalotes
NE Not evaluated
The Hairy-headed Leafcutter Ant (Atta cephalotes) is a remarkable fungus-growing ant native to Central and South America. These ants form massive colonies that can house up to 5 million members, all centered around a single queen who can live for over 15 years. First described in 1758 by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus, this species holds the distinction of being one of the earliest formally classified ants.
Data sheet
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda (Arthropods) |
| Class | Insecta (Insects) |
| Order | Hymenoptera (Sawflies, Wasps, Bees, and Ants) |
| Family | Formicidae (Ants) |
| Type specimen | Formica cephalotes Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type locality | Suriname |
| Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Head-body lenght | worker 12 mm / queen 30 mm |
| Translations | |
|---|---|
| Dutch | Bladsnijdermier |
| French | Fourmi coupe-feuille à front poilu |
| German | Blattschneiderameise |
| Spanish | Zampopo |
| Geographic Range | |
|---|---|
| Extant (Resident) | Southernmost Mexico to Ecuador and Brazil, and from the Lesser Antilles as far north as Bardbados. |
| Habitat |
|---|
| 1.6. Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest |
Portfolio
Below are some photos from my personal collection. All rights reserved. If you would like to use any of these photos, please contact me first.
Bibliography
Websites: AntWeb; Burgers' Zoo; iNaturalist; Wikipedia
Image credits
Header image: Artush / Shutterstock
Portfolio: Mark Sikking / FotoZoo