Atta (en)

Attas
What are? Where they are found? What is the life expectancy? What do they eat? Their species and Genres. What are your habits?

What are?

The Attas or ants-cutting, of cassava or Leaf Cutter Ant, are eusocial ants, ie very many organized. In your society have breeding ants, protective ants, street-sweeper ants, caretakers and harvesters ants. Displaying 03 (Three) features in their society: The replacement of generations in the same nest, the cooperative care of the nest and the division of tasks (breeding and Operatives). The Society of Attas is divided between breeding ants (queen and male) and the Workers (Collectors, Nurses, cleaners, guards and Farmers).

Breeding Ants

Queen

The Queen Atta is the largest of all the anthill ants, and is also the only fertile (It's the only one who can have children, calve or "Get Pregnant"). It is born starting when another Queen have she, ie a "pregnant" queen lays an egg, the egg becomes a larva ("Earthworm") specially created to become sexually mature and active, becomes a pupa (cocoon) there is born a female: The ant queen. (Note .: She is born of that size, it is born a queen) and from egg to adulthood is one of the best nest eggs care, but they are born only after three years the colony was founded and then dating with the male then falls to the ground and starts a new tingling, starting the cycle again.

The identification of Atta Queen, is not difficult, they and all the ants have a hard shell, called the Exoskeleton,and their body is divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen (In ants Queens your abdomen is the largest). They have flexible antennas that use to investigate objects, feel tastes and smells, different from other ants of anthill, the ant queens have a pair of wings that are used only for the nuptial flight, after this flight they remove the wings.

Note .: During the larval stage the levels of care and nutrition will determine what type of ant will become. When they receive little food, the larvae become workers; However when a larva receives a lot of food, it will develop into a queen.

Male

The Atta Male ant is one of the least care eggs. Like the Queen, he is born to be male, is the only ant of colony that is the "male", it is also produced after three years, there may be born before or at the beginning of the colony, but he will not last long time.

Workers

Gatherers, Harvesters or Cutting

Your job as the name says, is to leave the colony or nest to Spoon, Cut and Load back to the nest where, - unlike what many people think, they do not take leaves to eat, but to feed a fungus that they create that in turn feeds all ants of anthill of Attas.

 Caregivers and Nurses

They take care of the eggs, larvae and pupae (cocoons) and help the queen to take care of the puppies.

Guards and soldiers

Your job is protecting the entire anthill from attacks, invasions and robberies. All soldiers are characterized by being the only non-fertile ants have a big head.

Cleaners and Bins

The image with the number 4 is the anthill Dump and only ants responsible for cleaning the nest has access to it.

Take care of cleaning the colony, they carry the garbage to a gallery (compartment) deeper and away from other ants for not transmit diseases. Some examples of waste are fungi and dead ants.

Where they are found?

They can be found throughout Brazil and countries in the north of Latin America, Mexico and some parts of the United States

What is the life expectancy?

The queen can live 20 up to 25 years, The Operatives 2-4 years and males a few months before the nuptial flight where they all go to "slaughter".

What do they eat?

The Attas eat fungi, Isn't any fungus, is a fungus that they themselves create, feed and eat. The Queen before leaving the anthill that she was born, she carries in her mouth a piece of fungus that has this tingling, taking it in his mouth up to settle in a new place where the fungus can grow it and feed it with the stored fat in her abdomen and for 02 (two) months she don't eats nothing and only eat food, only when your workers are born.

Their species and Genres

In the United States (According to AntWiki) there are two (02) species of Attas.

Atta Mexica is found in mexico (Where is commonly called Hormiga del Desierto(Deserte Ant) and Mochomo, and crosses into Arizona, United States.

·        Atta Texana is found in Texas, Lousiana and northeastern states of mexixo. Have a common name Town ant, Parasol ant, Fungus ant, Texas leafcutter ant, Cut ant and nigth ant.

What are your habits?

It is both Day like Night, they do not stop working.