Zompopo (Spanish) Atta spp., Acromyrmex spp.

Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Formicidae Subfamily: Myrmicinae Genera: Atta, Acromyrmex Distribution Tropical and semi-tropical rainforests in the warmer regions of Central and South America. Habitat Huge underground colonies scattered throughout forest floors and fields. Food They feed on tiny white fruiting bodies called gongylidia, which grow from a fungus they cultivate in underground gardens. Reproduction Fertilized eggs become workers (females); unfertilized eggs become drones (males). A queens first brood in a new colony will develop in 40 to 50 weeks and will contain solely gardener-nurse workers who help raise the next brood of larger ants. There are several genera of leaf cutter ants. The major genera are Atta, Acromyrmex. Within Costa Rica they are found in lowland forests, where colonies can harvest up to 15% of the annual vegetation growth making them responsible for more defoliation than any other animal. A colony of Atta ants consists of many millions of ants and can remain viable for as long as there is a queen alive in the colony, which could be a number of decades. Their nests can measure up to 15 m across and 5 m deep. They do not eat the leaves they harvest. The cut pieces are carried back to the nest to be used as compost to cultivate a special fungus. The fungus cannot survive outside the nest and it needs the ants help to reproduce. Different species of fungus are used by different species of ants but all of the fungi the ants use are members of the Lepiotaceae family. Thousands of chambers in the nest will contain these fungus gardens. When a queen sets out to develop a fresh colony, she takes a bit of the fungus with her to seed the new garden. A queen and the drones she mates with are the only fertile members of a colony. They are also the only colony members born with a set of wings which are used on their mating flight. The queen may fly as far as 11 km from her home and mate with several males along the way. The only job of the drones is to mate with her, and they die shortly after doing so. She will store the mix of sperm from these encounters for use during the remainder of her lifetime, which can be upwards of 14 years. During this time she will produce more than 150 million female workers.

Development Its life cycle consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Worker ants tend to the blind, worm-like larvae as they develop. The entire cycle from egg to adult lasts from six to ten weeks. Characteristics Several castes are present in established colonies, including minims, minors, mediae and majors. These are sterile female workers, physically adapted to the role they play in the colony. Adaptations Powerful scissor-like jaws vibrate 1,000 times per second to slice off portions of leaves. They can carry up to 50 times their own body weight. Status/ Threats Commercial crop farmers regard them as pests and will often ignite their nests with petroleum.

A new colony produces copious quantities of workers as it concentrates on work and expansion in what is known as the ergonomic stage. Up to several years later, when it reaches a sufficient size, it will enter into a reproductive stage where virgin queens and drones are produced to take flight in order to begin new colonies. The larvae molt many times as they develop. Pupated larvae in cocoons are protected by workers. The head of the colony is the queen, measuring up to 5 cm long. Majors are the largest of the worker ants, whose job it is to defend the nest and help move large pieces of debris. In some Atta species (such as Atta cephalotes) they are known as soldiers. Mediae workers forage for leaves and bring cut leaf fragments back to the nest. Minims are the smallest workers. They work exclusively inside the nest, tending the broods and the fungus gardens. Minors are slightly larger minim workers whose job it is to protect the line of mediae workers as they come and go from the nest with their leafy cargo. Anatomically, ants from the genus Acromyrmex are very similar to those of the genus Atta. Atta ants have three pairs of spines and a smooth exoskeleton on the upper surface of their thorax while Acromyrmex have four pairs and a rough exoskeleton. These spines help them maneuver materials such as fragments of leaves on their backs. Worker ants are often targeted by the parasitic phorid fly, which lays its eggs into the crevices of the worker ants head while it is away from the nest on leaf-gathering trips. Minims have been observed sitting on the worker ants to thwart these attacks. Mature colonies have few predators, however there is a species of subterranean army ant (Nomamyrmex esenbeckii ) that is known to prey upon young, and sometimes even established Atta colonies. Two species from the genus Acromyrmex live close to the station. One lives in stumps and builds its nests above the ground. The other is black in colour and lives in cracks in trees. The former species has a colony in the compound in an old stump. The latter can be found in the wetter forest. The big leaf cutters of the area, Atta cephalotes, are found across the canal on the higher sandy soils. These areas seldom if ever flood and thus the ants are able to keep their gardens below the ground. One large colony is located at Don Edgar's across the canal on the south side of the property.

Sightings at Cao Palma Three species of leaf cutters are observed around the compound. They have very small colonies and individuals can be seen carrying leaves up trees.

References Giddy, Ian (2004) Cloudbridge Nature Reserve Nature Notes No. 14 Leafcutter Ants. Retrieved March 4, 2008 from http://cloudbridge.org/leafcutter.htm Bristol Zoo Gardens Leaf-cutter ant. Retrieved March 4, 2008 from http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/learning/animals/invertebrates/ant

Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation www.coterc.org