Mexican leafcutter ant
You can observe Mexican leafcutter ants
in action in the Insectarium's Great Vivarium.
This ant of the species Atta mexicana is found in Mexico and Central America. Each colony of leafcutter ants lives in symbiosis with a fungus: the ants feed it, and in turn, it feeds them.
Forager workers cut pieces of plant leaves to feed and grow the colony’s cultivated fungus. However, they themselves derive most of their nutrition from the sap of the plants they harvest.
Division of labour
Atta ants have a social system made up of three castes:
- The queen and the males (reproductive caste)
- The soldiers
- The workers
The queen and the males make up the reproductive caste. Males die shortly after mating, while the queen lays eggs throughout her lifetime. Eggs incubation last 12 to 22 days.
Soldier ants are larger and responsible for defending the nest—including the queen, eggs, and larvae—and protecting the workers.
Worker ants carry out more than 20 different tasks, including harvesting vegetation, tending the fungus garden, managing waste, and caring for the colony’s eggs, larvae, and pupae.
Longevity: Atta sp. soldier lives 2 years and the queen, 20 years
