Leafcutter Antハキリアリ

Species Data

Classification

Hymenoptera / Formicidae Source

Size

Body length varies greatly among individuals, from 3 to 20 mm, with labor divided among large, medium, and small workers and several soldier castes

Lifespan

Queens may live 10–20 years or more, long-lived for an insect

Diet

Other Does not eat the leaves themselves; carries cut leaves to the nest to cultivate a specialized fungus, which serves as its food

Distribution

Widely distributed across the Neotropics from Mexico to Bolivia, with disjunct populations in the Amazon and northeastern Brazil. Source

Sources

ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Did You Know?

• Colonies can grow to as many as 5 million members, all descended from a single queen who may reign for more than 20 years. Source
• The fungus they cultivate underground belongs to the family Agaricaceae, and the ants and fungus depend on each other in a mutualistic partnership. Source
• Some workers specialize in managing the colony's waste dump, and because they are more exposed to pathogens, they tend to live only about half as long as other workers. Source

FAQ

Do leafcutter ants eat the leaves they cut?

No. They carry the leaf fragments to their underground nest to grow a specialized fungus, which they then eat as their actual food source. Source

How big can a leafcutter ant colony get?

Colonies can contain up to about 5 million ants, all descended from a single queen that can live more than 20 years. Source

How is work divided among leafcutter ants?

Workers vary greatly in size, from about 3 to 20 mm, with larger ants cutting tough leaves and defending the colony while smaller ones handle finer tasks like tending the fungus garden. Source

How many operating facilities are registered here?

Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 1 Source

Books & gear

• Leafcutter Ant book
• binoculars