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Leafcutter ants are conspicuous insects in warmer regions of the Americas. These spiny, charismatic ants are expert farmers, cultivating their food- a specialized fungus- in extensive underground galleries. The cut leaves are not consumed directly by the ants but are used to grow the fungus.

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alexwild > A foraging worker of Atta texana returns to her nest with a hard-won leaf. Austin, Texas, USA.

alexwild > Acromyrmex coronatus, a Central American leafcutter.

alexwild > Researchers have discovered that ants slice quickly through plant matter by vibrating their jaws like an electric knife. The vibrations originate in the ants' hindmost body segment (the gaster) shown here tucked under the ant's body.

Atta cephalotes. Central America.

alexwild > What becomes of the leaves taken underground into the ants' nest? The leaves are cut into small pieces and fed to a specialized fungus that grows only within leafcutter nests. The fungus can be seen here as fluffy white mycelia growing across the green leaf matter.

Atta cephalotes. Central America.

alexwild > The spongy white fungus of the leafcutter ants grows into extensive galleries that form an edible living space.

Atta colombica

alexwild > Atta cephalotes leafcutter ants inside their fungus garden. These ants are exclusively fungivores, cultivating a specialized fungus in extensive underground galleries.

alexwild > The telltale circular cuts of a leafcutter ant.

Acromyrmex coronatus, Central America.

alexwild > A mature leafcutter colony contains more than a million individual ants and can defoliate an entire tree overnight. Here a busy trail of Atta cephalotes carries cut vegetation back to the nest. Note the small ants riding atop the leaves- these stand guard against parasitic Phorid flies attempting to attack the preoccupied leaf-carriers. Ecuador.

alexwild > The telltale circular cuts of a leafcutter ant.

Acromyrmex coronatus, Central America.

Atta cephalotes leafcutter ants inside their fungus garden. These ants are exclusively fungivores, cultivating a specialized fungus in extensive underground galleries.

> Atta cephalotes leafcutter ants inside their fungus garden. These ants are exclusively fungivores, cultivating a specialized fungus in extensive underground galleries.

Atta cephalotes leafcutter ants inside their fungus garden. These ants are exclusively fungivores, cultivating a specialized fungus in extensive underground galleries.

Camera: Canon (Canon Eos D60) |

More details: exif |

Original size: 3072px x 2040px |

Current: 400px x 266px |

Other sizes: Small · M |

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Keywords: art garden bugs tropical ants nature macro fungus insect insects evolution tropics leafcutter hymenoptera symbiosis entomology formicidae mutualism leafcutting

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all images and text © Alex Wild 2008

insect pictures, insect images, insect photos, insect photography, ant images, bug pictures, bug photographs, insect identification, ant pictures

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