Atta cephalotes
Leaf-cutting ants use pheromones to warn their conspecifics of danger. Depending on their concentration,
these substances provoke different reactions. In lower concentrations, the effect of the pheromone is to attract female workers to rush to help their conspecifics. In very high concentrations on the other hand it signals to other ants to escape immediately. Status according to Red List: not evaluated
Order: hymenoptera, family: ants
Not only fungus that they have cultivated but also leaf sap containing glucose
Rainforests of Central and South America
Only the queen has the ability to mate. She is able to lay over 100 million eggs. The nutrition, which the larvae feed on influences the caste of workers that they will belong to. Female workers emerge from fertilised eggs, while males emerge from unfertilised eggs at swarming time.
Status according to Red List:Not evaluated (NE)