''Atta vollenweideri'', common name chaco leafcutter ant,
is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
leafcutter ant
Leafcutter ants, a non-generic name, are any of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants belonging to the two genera '' Atta'' and ''Acromyrmex''.
These species of tropical, fungus-growing ants are all endemic to South and Central America, Mexico, and par ...
, a
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
ant of the
subfamily Myrmicinae of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
''Atta''. This species is from one of the two genera of advanced
attines (fungus-growing ants) within the tribe
Attini.
Colonies are made up of around 4-7 million individuals.
See also
*
List of leafcutter ants
This is a list of leafcutter ants, comprising 42 species from two genera: ''Atta'' and ''Acromyrmex
''Acromyrmex'' is a genus of New World ants of the subfamily Myrmicinae. This genus is found in South America and parts of Central America and t ...
References
External links
Images of winged specimensStudy: ''The thermo-sensitive sensilla coeloconica of Atta vollenweideri''Study: ''Wind-induced ventilation of the giant nests of Atta vollenweideri''
Atta (genus)
Insects described in 1893
Taxa named by Auguste Forel
{{myrmicinae-stub