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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Ants (Formicoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Myrmicinae » Attini » Fungus Growing Ants (Attina) » Leaf-cutting Ants (Atta) » Texas Leaf-cutting Ant (Atta texana)
Photo#92122
Atta Texana alate - Atta texana - female
Copyright © 2007 Penny Crispin

Atta Texana alate - Atta texana - Female
Lake Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, USA
May 31, 2006
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Contributed by Penny Crispin on 7 January, 2007 - 9:47pm

Queen, but not an alate...
Alate refers to the winged form. After the queen mates, her wings drop off and she digs a chamber to lay her eggs in. The workers that hatch from these eggs do all future digging and foraging. Photo showing all castes, note that the female alate has a larger head than does the male alate.
… Mike Quinn, 12 May, 2007 - 11:23am login or register to post comments

 
Ah
So then I should only call them alates while their wings are still attached?
… Penny Crispin, 12 May, 2007 - 11:10pm login or register to post comments

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