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{{short description|Species of ant}}
{{Short description|Species of ant}}
{{Speciesbox
{{Italic title}}
⚫
| image = Atta cephalotes-pjt.jpg
{{Taxobox
| name = ''Atta cephalotes''
| image_caption = ''Atta cephalotes'' worker carrying leaf segment
| image = Atta cephalotes-pjt.jpg
| taxon = Atta cephalotes
⚫
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&genus=atta&name=cephalotes&project=worldants |title=Species: ''Atta cephalotes'' |publisher=AntWeb |date=2010-06-30 |access-date=2010-08-20}}</ref>
| image_caption = ''Atta cephalotes'' worker carrying leaf segment
⚫
|synonyms =
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
⚫
* ''Atta cephalotes integrior'' <small>Forel, 1904</small>
| phylum = [[Arthropod]]a
⚫
* ''Atta cephalotes isthmicola'' <small>Weber, 1941</small>
| classis = [[Insect]]a
⚫
* ''Atta cephalotes oaxaquensis'' <small>Gonçalves, 1942</small>
| ordo = [[Hymenoptera]]
⚫
* ''Atta cephalotes opaca'' <small>Forel, 1904</small>
| familia = [[Ant|Formicidae]]
⚫
* ''Atta cephalotes polita'' <small>Emery, 1905</small>
| genus = ''[[Atta (genus)|Atta]]''
⚫
* ''Atta lutea'' <small>Forel, 1893</small>
| species = '''''A. cephalotes'''''
⚫
* ''Formica fervens'' <small>Drury, 1782</small>
⚫
| binomial = ''Atta cephalotes''
⚫
* ''Formica grossa'' <small>Fabricius, 1787</small>
⚫
| binomial_authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&genus=atta&name=cephalotes&project=worldants |title=Species: ''Atta cephalotes'' |publisher=AntWeb |date=2010-06-30 |accessdate=2010-08-20}}</ref>
⚫
* ''Formica migratoria'' <small>De Geer, 1773</small>
⚫
|synonyms =
''Atta cephalotes integrior'' <small>Forel, 1904</small><br>
* ''Formica visitatrix'' <small>Christ, 1791</small>
⚫
''Atta cephalotes isthmicola'' <small>Weber, 1941</small><br>
⚫
''Atta cephalotes oaxaquensis'' <small>Gonçalves, 1942</small><br>
⚫
''Atta cephalotes opaca'' <small>Forel, 1904</small><br>
⚫
''Atta cephalotes polita'' <small>Emery, 1905</small><br>
⚫
''Atta lutea'' <small>Forel, 1893</small><br>
⚫
''Formica fervens'' <small>Drury, 1782</small><br>
⚫
''Formica grossa'' <small>Fabricius, 1787</small><br>
⚫
''Formica migratoria'' <small>De Geer, 1773</small><br>
⚫
''Formica visitatrix'' <small>Christ, 1791</small>
}}
}}
⚫
'''''Atta cephalotes''''' is a species of [[leafcutter ant]] in the tribe [[Attini]] (the fungus-growing ants). A single colony of ants can contain up to 5 million members, and each colony has one queen that can live more than 15 years. The colony comprises different castes, known as "task partitioning", and each caste has a different job to do.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wilson |first=Edward O. |date=December 1983 |title=Caste and division of labor in leaf-cutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Atta): III. Ergonomic resiliency in foraging by A. cephalotes |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF00366655 |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=47–54 |doi=10.1007/BF00366655 |s2cid=23048898 |issn=0340-5443}}</ref>

⚫
'''''Atta cephalotes''''' is a species of [[leafcutter ant]] in the tribe [[Attini]] (the fungus-growing ants). A single colony of ants can contain up to 5 million members, and each colony has one queen that can live more than 15 years. The colony comprises different castes, known as 'task partitioning', and each caste has a different job to do.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}


==Taxonomy==
==Taxonomy==
Line 33: Line 23:


==Biology and behaviour==
==Biology and behaviour==
A special caste of workers manage the colony's rubbish dump. These ants are excluded from the rest of the colony. If any wander outside the dump, the other ants will kill them or force them back. Rubbish workers are often contaminated with disease and toxins, and live only half as long as their peers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16922743.600-treated-like-garbage.html |title=Treated like garbage |publisher=New Scientist |date=2001-01-20 |accessdate=2015-08-17}}</ref>
A special caste of workers manages the colony's rubbish dump. These ants are excluded from the rest of the colony. If any wander outside the dump, the other ants will kill them or force them back. Rubbish workers are often contaminated with disease and toxins, and live only half as long as their peers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16922743.600-treated-like-garbage.html |title=Treated like garbage |publisher=New Scientist |date=2001-01-20 |access-date=2015-08-17}}</ref>


==Distribution and habitat==
==Distribution and habitat==
The species is widely distributed in the [[Neotropical]] region, from Mexico to Bolivia, with disjunct populations in [[Amazon basin|Amazonas]] and north-eastern Brazil.<ref name="Correra_et_al_2005"/>
The species is widely distributed in the [[Neotropical]] region, from Mexico to Bolivia, with disjunct populations in [[Amazon basin|Amazonas]] and north-eastern Brazil.<ref name="Correra_et_al_2005"/>


Across the rainforest floor they typically occupy an area of approximately 20 square feet. They live in nests that can be as deep as 7 metres that they have carefully positioned so that a breeze can rid the nest of the dangerous levels of CO2 given off by the fungus they farm and eat.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
Across the rainforest floor they typically occupy an area of approximately 1.85 square meters. They live in [[Lithodytes lineatus|nests]] that can be as deep as 7 metres that they have carefully positioned so that a breeze can rid the nest of the dangerous levels of {{CO2}} given off by the fungus they farm and eat.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sousa |first1=Kátia K. A. |last2=Camargo |first2=Roberto S. |last3=Caldato |first3=Nadia |last4=Farias |first4=Adriano P. |last5=Matos |first5=Carlos A. O. |last6=Zanuncio |first6=José C. |last7=Santos |first7=Isabel C. L. |last8=Forti |first8=Luiz C. |date=December 2021 |title=Carbon dioxide levels in initial nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=20562 |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-00099-8 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=8523712 |pmid=34663831}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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<ref name="Fabricius_1804">Fabricius, J. C. 1804. Systema Piezatorum secundum ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Brunswick: C. Reichard, p. 421</ref>
<ref name="Fabricius_1804">Fabricius, J. C. 1804. Systema Piezatorum secundum ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Brunswick: C. Reichard, p. 421</ref>


<ref name="Linnaeus_1758">{{cite book|last=Linnaeus |first=C. |authorlink=Carl Linnaeus |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I |edition=[[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th]] |publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii) |year=1758 |pages=579–582 }}</ref>
<ref name="Linnaeus_1758">{{cite book|last=Linnaeus |first=C. |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I |edition=[[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th]] |publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii) |year=1758 |pages=579–582 }}</ref>


<ref name="Swainson_Shuckard_1840">{{cite book|last1=Swainson|first1=W.|last2=Shuckard|first2=W.E.|title=On the history and natural arrangement of insects|publisher=Longman, Brown, Green & Longman's|date=1840|volume=104|page=174|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.32786|location=London, UK|oclc=4329243}}</ref>
<ref name="Swainson_Shuckard_1840">{{cite book|last1=Swainson|first1=W.|last2=Shuckard|first2=W.E.|title=On the history and natural arrangement of insects|publisher=Longman, Brown, Green & Longman's|date=1840|volume=104|page=174|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.32786|location=London, UK|oclc=4329243|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/259483 }}</ref>


<ref name="Wheeler_1911">{{cite journal|last1=Wheeler |first1=W. M. |year=1911 |title= A list of the type species of the genera and subgenera of Formicidae|journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=21 |pages=157–175 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-6632.1911.tb56932.x}}</ref>
<ref name="Wheeler_1911">{{cite journal|last1=Wheeler |first1=W. M. |year=1911 |title= A list of the type species of the genera and subgenera of Formicidae|journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=21 |pages=157–175 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-6632.1911.tb56932.x|s2cid=85430772 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/25141 }}</ref>


}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Commonscat-inline|Atta cephalotes|''Atta cephalotes''}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Atta cephalotes|''Atta cephalotes''}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Atta cephalotes|''Atta cephalotes''}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q1945635}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1945635}}
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[[Category:Hymenoptera of South America]]
[[Category:Hymenoptera of South America]]
[[Category:Insects of Central America]]
[[Category:Insects of Central America]]
[[Category:Insects of Brazil]]
[[Category:Hymenoptera of Brazil]]
[[Category:Insects of Mexico]]
[[Category:Insects of Mexico]]
[[Category:Neotropical realm fauna]]
[[Category:Neotropical realm fauna]]
[[Category:Insects described in 1758]]
[[Category:Ants described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]

Latest revision as of 21:01, 1 February 2024

Atta cephalotes
Atta cephalotes worker carrying leaf segment
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Genus: Atta
Species:
A. cephalotes
Binomial name
Atta cephalotes
Synonyms
  • Atta cephalotes integrior Forel, 1904
  • Atta cephalotes isthmicola Weber, 1941
  • Atta cephalotes oaxaquensis Gonçalves, 1942
  • Atta cephalotes opaca Forel, 1904
  • Atta cephalotes polita Emery, 1905
  • Atta lutea Forel, 1893
  • Formica fervens Drury, 1782
  • Formica grossa Fabricius, 1787
  • Formica migratoria De Geer, 1773
  • Formica visitatrix Christ, 1791

Atta cephalotes is a species of leafcutter ant in the tribe Attini (the fungus-growing ants). A single colony of ants can contain up to 5 million members, and each colony has one queen that can live more than 15 years. The colony comprises different castes, known as "task partitioning", and each caste has a different job to do.[2]

Taxonomy[edit]

The species is one of the earliest formally classified ants, first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Formica cephalotes in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae together with 16 other ant species, all of which he placed in the genus Formica.[3] It was later transferred to a new genus, Atta, along with five other species by Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804.[4] In 1911, American entomologist William Morton Wheeler designated A. cephalotes as the type species of Atta.[5] It was also designated as the type species of Oecodoma, but the genus is now a synonym of Atta.[6]

Biology and behaviour[edit]

A special caste of workers manages the colony's rubbish dump. These ants are excluded from the rest of the colony. If any wander outside the dump, the other ants will kill them or force them back. Rubbish workers are often contaminated with disease and toxins, and live only half as long as their peers.[7]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

The species is widely distributed in the Neotropical region, from Mexico to Bolivia, with disjunct populations in Amazonas and north-eastern Brazil.[8]

Across the rainforest floor they typically occupy an area of approximately 1.85 square meters. They live in nests that can be as deep as 7 metres that they have carefully positioned so that a breeze can rid the nest of the dangerous levels of CO2 given off by the fungus they farm and eat.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Species: Atta cephalotes". AntWeb. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  2. ^ Wilson, Edward O. (December 1983). "Caste and division of labor in leaf-cutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Atta): III. Ergonomic resiliency in foraging by A. cephalotes". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 14 (1): 47–54. doi:10.1007/BF00366655. ISSN 0340-5443. S2CID 23048898.
  3. ^ Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I (10th ed.). Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). pp. 579–582.
  4. ^ Fabricius, J. C. 1804. Systema Piezatorum secundum ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Brunswick: C. Reichard, p. 421
  5. ^ Wheeler, W. M. (1911). "A list of the type species of the genera and subgenera of Formicidae". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 21: 157–175. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1911.tb56932.x. S2CID 85430772.
  6. ^ Swainson, W.; Shuckard, W.E. (1840). On the history and natural arrangement of insects. Vol. 104. London, UK: Longman, Brown, Green & Longman's. p. 174. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.32786. OCLC 4329243.
  7. ^ "Treated like garbage". New Scientist. 2001-01-20. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  8. ^ Corrêa, M.M.; Bieber, A.G.D.; Wirth, R.; Leal, I.R. (2005). "Occurrence of Atta cephalotes (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil". Neotropical Entomology. 34 (4): 695–698. doi:10.1590/S1519-566X2005000400023.
  9. ^ Sousa, Kátia K. A.; Camargo, Roberto S.; Caldato, Nadia; Farias, Adriano P.; Matos, Carlos A. O.; Zanuncio, José C.; Santos, Isabel C. L.; Forti, Luiz C. (December 2021). "Carbon dioxide levels in initial nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 20562. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-00099-8. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 8523712. PMID 34663831.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atta_cephalotes&oldid=1202005102"