''Atta insularis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

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 pa ...

, 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 Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent an ...

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 n ...

''Atta''

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. This species is from one of the two genera of advanced

fungus-growing ants Fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) comprise all the known fungus-growing ant species participating in ant–fungus mutualism. They are known for cutting grasses and leaves, carrying them to their colonies' nests, and using them to grow fungus on ...

within the tribe Attini. This species is the largest and most notable species of ant of Cuba. ''A. insularis'' is unique to Cuba, and has great polymorphism. Its workers specialize in different activities. The warriors have remarkably large heads. They prefer to work at night, although they do by day, more if on cloudy days. The nests are huge, and may comprise one or several mounds that can be spaced several metres apart. The height of the mound can sometimes exceed a metre. These nests in natural sites can be very durable, even more than 50 years. This species is a pest of citrus, coffee, and various ''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden a ...

'' species. Quantitative studies in the behaviour of ''A. insularis'' has been performed both in laboratory-controlled conditions, and in the wild.

Gallery

Image:Atta insularis2.jpg, Image:Atta insularis 3.jpg,

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading