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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Ants (Formicidae) » Myrmicinae » Leaf-cutting Ants (Atta) » Texas Leaf Cutting Ant (Atta texana)
Photo#75656
Leaf-cutting Ant - Atta texana
Copyright © 2006 Gary Rankin

Leaf-cutting Ant - Atta texana
San Antonio area, Bexar County, Texas, USA
September 7, 2006
I read in the guide that there are only 2 types of Leaf-cutting Ants in the US. I don't have any photos of a Queen, but here are some workers of different sizes. These may help for the guide pages? I'm not sure the difference in the two types, but these are in south Texas if that makes any difference. So are these Atta texana ?

Normally these are after fresh young green foliage from one of the Chinaberry trees, tonight is much cooler than it has been lately and they seem to be bringing home only dried dead bits of leaves.

I'll go see if I can get some better images. I'm pretty new at using this camera's macro setting at night, but I'll see what I can do.
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Contributed by Gary Rankin on 7 September, 2006 - 1:22am
Last updated 7 September, 2006 - 10:53pm

Well it sure looks like A. te
Well it sure looks like A. texana. There is however a thrid "leafcuter in the states, Acromyrmex versicolor.
… Gordon C. Snelling, 7 September, 2006 - 7:53am login or register to post comments

 
Ahhh ok . . .
I wasn't aware of that . . . could this be the third or is there any way to tell from these images?
… Gary Rankin, 7 September, 2006 - 1:32pm login or register to post comments

 
Im not entirely sure if Acrom
Im not entirely sure if Acromymrmex gets into Texas, but the images are good enough to tell it is not that ant.
… Gordon C. Snelling, 7 September, 2006 - 5:17pm login or register to post comments

 
Acromyrmex
Wheeler found a variety of Acromyrmex versicolor in Terlingua, in Big Bend. No one's found any Acromyrmex farther east AFAIK.
… asj2006, 9 September, 2006 - 9:43am login or register to post comments

 
Ok Thanks
Then I guess it's safe to say this is the Texas variety. I'll go ahead and add them to the guide and if someone thinks different, we can always move them later and frass the ones not needed there. I'll see about getting some better photos as well.
… Gary Rankin, 7 September, 2006 - 5:42pm login or register to post comments

 
It's Atta texana. That's the
It's Atta texana. That's the only Atta sp. in texas as far as we know, and Acromyrmex versicolor does not have the large worker shown in the pic. Atta texana is also pretty prevalent in the San Antonio area.
… asj2008, 2 April, 2008 - 1:30am login or register to post comments

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