Leafcutter ants, a non-generic name, are any of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants belonging to the two genera Atta and Acromyrmex, within the tribe Attini.
These species of tropical, fungus-growing ants are all endemic to South and Central America, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. Leafcutter ants can carry twenty times their body weight and cut and process fresh vegetation to serve as the nutritional substrate for their fungal cultivates.
Atta cephalotes, Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart
Atta colombica, queen with larvae and workers on substrate
Leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes
Workers of Atta colombica at work
Atta is a genus of New World ants of the subfamily Myrmicinae. It contains at least 17 known species.
Atta (ant)
Workers of A. colombica cutting all the leaves from a young tree
A. cephalotes, Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart
A. cephalotes castes