[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":380},["ShallowReactive",2],{"species-sheet-\u002Fspecies\u002Fatta-cephalotes":3},{"species":4,"profile":245,"countryNames":283,"lookalikes":299,"similar":303,"posts":360},{"id":5,"authority":6,"colonyStructure":7,"confidence":8,"countries":11,"defense":27,"diet":29,"difficulty":32,"dryHumidity":33,"escapeRisk":9,"estimated":34,"experience":39,"extension":40,"finder":41,"founding":42,"growth":43,"guide":33,"hibernation":44,"hibernationMonths":33,"hibernationTemperature":33,"humidity":45,"image":48,"imageCredit":49,"imageHeight":53,"imageWidth":54,"interests":33,"keptSince":33,"legal":55,"lookalikes":58,"majorSize":62,"maxWorkers":33,"meta":63,"nests":64,"nuptialFlightMonths":67,"nuptialFlightTime":70,"nuptialFlightTriggers":71,"polymorphism":73,"queenSize":74,"regions":77,"relatedPosts":80,"reviewedAt":57,"scientificName":84,"sources":85,"stem":228,"subfamily":229,"temperature":230,"tribe":233,"workerSize":234,"__hash__":237,"slug":238,"genus":239,"nickname":240,"aliases":241,"tagline":244},"species\u002Fspecies\u002Fatta-cephalotes.yml","(Linnaeus, 1758)","monogyne",{"biology":9,"husbandry":10,"nuptialFlight":10},"high","medium",[12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26],"MX","GT","BZ","HN","NI","CR","PA","CO","VE","EC","PE","BR","BO","GF","TT",[28],"bite",[30,31],"leaves","sugar","7",null,[35,36,37,38],"humidity","nuptialFlightMonths","workerSize","queenSize","compiled","yml",false,"claustral","veryFast","none",[46,47],85,95,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fatta-cephalotes.jpg",{"author":50,"license":51,"url":52},"a6475","CC BY-SA 4.0","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.inaturalist.org\u002Fobservations\u002F382480002",800,1200,{"status":56,"checked":57},"free","2026-10-11",[59,60,61],"Atta sexdens","Atta laevigata","Atta colombica",18,{},[65,66],"acrylic","naturalistic",[68,69],4,7,"night",[72],"rain","polymorphic",[75,76],22,30,[78,79],"northAmerica","southAmerica",[81,82,83],"keeping-leafcutter-ants-v2-the-ant-pod","when-ant-colonies-grow-out-of-control-the-ant-pod","preparing-ants-for-vacation-the-ant-pod","Atta cephalotes",[86,92,100,104,109,113,117,121,125,129,133,137,141,145,149,154,158,162,166,170,174,178,182,187,191,195,199,203,207,211,216,220,224],{"type":87,"title":88,"url":89,"covers":90},"paper","Quinlan and Cherrett (1979), Ecological Entomology 4: The role of fungus in the diet of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (workers drink plant sap, the fungus feeds mainly the larvae)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1111\u002Fj.1365-2311.1979.tb00570.x",[91],"biology",{"type":93,"title":94,"url":95,"covers":96},"reference","Longino: Ants of Costa Rica, Atta cephalotes (range, identification, subterranean refuse dumps, predawn nuptial flights)","https:\u002F\u002Fants.biology.utah.edu\u002Fgenera\u002Fatta\u002Fspecies\u002Fcephalotes\u002Fcephalotes.html",[97,91,98,99],"taxonomy","distribution","nuptialFlight",{"type":93,"title":101,"url":102,"covers":103},"Longino: Ants of Costa Rica, key to Atta (A. cephalotes with a smooth shiny patch on the mesosoma and woolly hair on the majors, versus the matte, maroon A. colombica)","https:\u002F\u002Fants.biology.utah.edu\u002Fgenera\u002Fatta\u002Fkey.html",[97],{"type":87,"title":105,"url":106,"covers":107},"Muratore, Ilieş, Huzar, Zaidi and Traniello (2023), Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 77: Morphological evolution and the behavioral organization of agricultural division of labor in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes (worker size classes, laboratory colonies kept at 25 °C)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1007\u002Fs00265-023-03344-4",[91,108],"husbandry",{"type":87,"title":110,"url":111,"covers":112},"Barrera, Sosa-Calvo, Schultz and Rabeling (2022), Systematic Entomology 47: Phylogenomic reconstruction reveals new insights into the evolution and biogeography of Atta leaf-cutting ants (species delimitation in Atta is problematic)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1111\u002Fsyen.12513",[97],{"type":87,"title":114,"url":115,"covers":116},"Baer and Boomsma (2006), Journal of Morphology 267: Mating biology of the leaf-cutting ants Atta colombica and A. cephalotes (copulations often occur at night)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1002\u002Fjmor.10467",[91,99],{"type":87,"title":118,"url":119,"covers":120},"Corrêa, Bieber, Wirth and Leal (2005), Neotropical Entomology 34: Occurrence of Atta cephalotes in Alagoas, northeastern Brazil (range, disjunct populations)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1590\u002FS1519-566X2005000400023",[98],{"type":93,"title":122,"url":123,"covers":124},"Wikipedia: Atta cephalotes","https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FAtta_cephalotes",[97,91,98],{"type":93,"title":126,"url":127,"covers":128},"Wikipedia: Atta (ant genus), queens and fungus pocket","https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FAtta_(ant)",[91],{"type":93,"title":130,"url":131,"covers":132},"GBIF: Atta cephalotes (Linnaeus, 1758), occurrence records by country","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gbif.org\u002Fspecies\u002F5035748",[97,98],{"type":93,"title":134,"url":135,"covers":136},"iNaturalist: Atta cephalotes observations annotated as male (winged males by month and country)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.inaturalist.org\u002Fobservations?taxon_id=153974&term_id=9&term_value_id=11",[99],{"type":93,"title":138,"url":139,"covers":140},"The Guide to Leafcutter Ants: nuptial flights (Atta cephalotes flies after early rains in May, after Mintzer 1990)","https:\u002F\u002Fkeyapa.com\u002Fleafcutters\u002Fnuptials.htm",[99],{"type":93,"title":142,"url":143,"covers":144},"University of the West Indies: Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago, Atta cephalotes (Leaf-cutter Ant or Bachac)","https:\u002F\u002Fsta.uwi.edu\u002Ffst\u002Flifesciences\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002Flifesciences\u002Fimages\u002FAtta%20cephalotes%20-%20Leaf-cutter%20Ant%20or%20Bachac.pdf",[91,98],{"type":93,"title":146,"url":147,"covers":148},"EPPO Global Database: Atta cephalotes (ATTACE), common names","https:\u002F\u002Fgd.eppo.int\u002Ftaxon\u002FATTACE",[97],{"type":150,"title":151,"url":152,"covers":153},"careSheet","Antstore: Atta cephalotes","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.antstore.net\u002Fshop\u002Fen\u002Fants\u002FAnts-from-America\u002FAtta-cephalotes.html",[108,91,99],{"type":150,"title":155,"url":156,"covers":157},"ANTCUBE: Guide for the top 10 ant species to keep at home, Atta cephalotes","https:\u002F\u002Fantcube.shop\u002Fen\u002F2025\u002F09\u002F03\u002Fguide-for-the-top-10-ant-species-to-keep-at-home\u002F",[108,91],{"type":150,"title":159,"url":160,"covers":161},"Ant Shack: Atta cephalotes care sheet","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ant-shack.com\u002Fpages\u002Fencyclopedia-entry\u002Fatta-cephalotes",[108,91],{"type":150,"title":163,"url":164,"covers":165},"FormicaMarket: Atta cephalotes care guide","https:\u002F\u002Fformicamarket.com\u002Fen\u002Fant-database\u002Fatta-cephalotes\u002F",[108],{"type":150,"title":167,"url":168,"covers":169},"Ameisenhaltung.de: Artenverzeichnis, Atta cephalotes","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenhaltung.de\u002Fartenverzeichnis\u002Fentry\u002F168-atta-cephalotes\u002F",[108,91],{"type":93,"title":171,"url":172,"covers":173},"Marwell Zoo: Leaf-cutter ants (Atta cephalotes, queen about 22 mm, workers 2-14 mm)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.marwell.org.uk\u002Fanimals\u002Fleaf-cutter-ants\u002F",[91],{"type":150,"title":175,"url":176,"covers":177},"antkeeping.info: Atta cephalotes (queen and worker sizes)","https:\u002F\u002Fantkeeping.info\u002Fants\u002Fatta-cephalotes",[91],{"type":150,"title":179,"url":180,"covers":181},"Leaf Cutting Ants (Andrew Stephenson): care of leaf-cutting ant colonies in captivity","http:\u002F\u002Fwww.leafcuttingants.com\u002Farticle01.html",[108,91],{"type":183,"title":184,"url":185,"covers":186},"forum","Formiculture: Ultimate Guide to Leafcutter Ants (CheetoLord02: never heat the fungus, Atta found claustrally, the queen lays according to the volume of fungus)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F15532-old-cheetos-ultimate-guide-to-leafcutter-ants%E2%84%A2\u002F",[91,108],{"type":183,"title":188,"url":189,"covers":190},"Antstore forum: Atta cephalotes bicolor (AntsNational, a colony of around 2000 workers after about 11 months and around 6000 after about 13 months)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.antstore.net\u002Fforum\u002Fpost148162.html",[108],{"type":183,"title":192,"url":193,"covers":194},"Ameisenforum: Haltungsbericht Atta cephalotes (Joachim123, humidity, ventilation and fungus loss)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fviewtopic.php?f=201&t=62108",[108],{"type":183,"title":196,"url":197,"covers":198},"Ameisenforum: Atta cephalotes (zweifarbig) (marcel, a colony kept for about nine years, growth, plugged openings and a queen lost after a heat wave)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fviewtopic.php?f=201&t=51893",[108],{"type":183,"title":200,"url":201,"covers":202},"Ameisenforum: Atta spec. Haltungs- und Fotobericht (Lifestyler94, pesticide losses and break-outs)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fviewtopic.php?f=201&t=64887",[108],{"type":183,"title":204,"url":205,"covers":206},"Ameisenforum: Atta Futter für den Winter (food plants for the cold months)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fviewtopic.php?f=201&t=60317",[108],{"type":183,"title":208,"url":209,"covers":210},"Ameisenforum: Atta cephalotes (Linske4, advice on buying a colony and shipping the fungus)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fviewtopic.php?f=201&t=64991",[108],{"type":93,"title":212,"url":213,"covers":214},"EU list of invasive alien species of Union concern (Implementing Regulation 2016\u002F1141, consolidated)","https:\u002F\u002Feur-lex.europa.eu\u002Feli\u002Freg_impl\u002F2016\u002F1141\u002Foj",[215],"legal",{"type":93,"title":217,"url":218,"covers":219},"MITECO: Spanish Catalogue of Invasive Alien Species, arthropods","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.miteco.gob.es\u002Fen\u002Fbiodiversidad\u002Ftemas\u002Fconservacion-de-especies\u002Fespecies-exoticas-invasoras\u002Fce_eei_artropodos_nc.html",[215],{"type":93,"title":221,"url":222,"covers":223},"Japan Ministry of the Environment: list of designated invasive alien species (Invasive Alien Species Act)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.env.go.jp\u002Fnature\u002Fintro\u002F2outline\u002Flist.html",[215],{"type":93,"title":225,"url":226,"covers":227},"Bundesartenschutzverordnung (BArtSchV), Anlage 1: protected species in Germany","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gesetze-im-internet.de\u002Fbartschv_2005\u002Fanlage_1.html",[215],"species\u002Fatta-cephalotes","Myrmicinae",[231,232],23,27,"Attini",[235,236],2,12,"39QjsCrWa8u26T9gOC45fT87A0ipD-J8M2Ar0hGTezQ","atta-cephalotes","Atta","Hairy-headed leafcutter ant",[242,243],"Troublesome umbrella ant","Bachac","The classic leafcutter: shiny red-orange workers of every size carry cut leaf pieces home to feed a living fungus garden.",{"id":246,"title":247,"aliases":241,"body":248,"description":252,"extension":254,"faqs":255,"identification":265,"language":266,"meta":267,"navigation":268,"nickname":240,"notes":269,"path":280,"seo":281,"stem":228,"tagline":244,"__hash__":282},"speciesProfiles\u002Fspecies\u002Fatta-cephalotes.md","Atta Cephalotes",{"type":249,"value":250,"toc":251},"minimark",[],{"title":252,"searchDepth":235,"depth":235,"links":253},"",[],"md",[256,259,262],{"question":257,"answer":258},"Do Atta cephalotes workers eat the leaves they cut?","No. The leaf pieces are chewed into a pulp that the fungus grows on. In a study of this very species the larvae got enough energy from the swollen fungus tips called staphylae, but the workers and the queen did not; the workers get much of their energy from plant sap that they drink while they cut and prepare the leaves.",{"question":260,"answer":261},"Why do Atta cephalotes workers come in so many sizes?","Each size does a different job. The smallest workers, the minims, stay inside to dig and to tend the fungus and the brood, and some ride on leaf pieces, which is thought to protect the carriers from parasitic flies. Medium workers cut and carry the leaves, and the huge-headed majors defend the colony and keep the trails clear. Majors show up only after a colony has grown for a while, so a young colony looks like a crowd of small ants.",{"question":263,"answer":264},"Can an Atta cephalotes colony be started from a young queen?","Yes, as long as she is mated and still carries the pinch of fungus from her mother's nest. An Atta queen founds her colony sealed in a chamber and lives off her body reserves, so she needs no food, but she has no chance if the fungus is lost or the little garden fails. Keepers who raise one from the start report a first garden and a few dozen workers within weeks, but it takes a lot of time and some queens turn out to be infertile, which is why most buyers prefer an established colony with its fungus. Shipping often crumbles the garden, so many order a spare piece as a backup.","Red-orange workers of every size, with a smooth, shiny patch on the side of the thorax and huge-headed majors that wear a tuft of reddish woolly hair on the face; the similar Atta colombica is maroon, completely matte and has no woolly hair on its majors. Stock sold as cephalotes, including dark or two-colored forms, is not always confirmed, so a hobby colony can differ from this description.","en",{},true,[270,273,276,278],{"kind":271,"text":272},"watchOut","Heat is a bigger danger than a cool room, and the room thermometer is misleading. One keeper saw the garden shrink week after week and the brood vanish after a heat wave in the room, and the queen of that long-kept colony was later found dead; other keepers report the garden shrinking whenever it gets too warm. Put a probe thermometer inside the fungus chamber, keep heaters from touching the garden and plan for summer cooling.",{"kind":274,"text":275},"tip","Give the fungus air movement, not only holes in the lid. The garden gives off CO2, which sinks, and in one keeper's tank with a single vent at the top the fungus was torn down until more ventilation was added, and experienced keepers advise vents high and low. A small hood over the garden lets the ants build their own humid microclimate; keep liquid water off the fungus and go easy on watery foods such as lettuce.",{"kind":271,"text":277},"Only cut leaves from places you know are untreated. Sprayed foliage can wipe out a colony, one keeper apparently lost several young queens soon after feeding leaves cut at a forest edge next to a farm field, and sumac is toxic to the fungus. Bramble, rose-family plants, raspberry and beech are the usual staples, so plan the winter supply early and keep the daily ration steady: the queen lays in proportion to the amount of fungus, so a steady ration keeps the colony from outgrowing its space.",{"kind":271,"text":279},"The workers plug any opening you cut in a cover with grains of substrate within hours, and bigger colonies like to break out. Use a rigid frame and a wide, slippery barrier around every tank and tube run, and open covers slowly.","\u002Fspecies\u002Fatta-cephalotes",{"description":252},"4fUvbVh3heizvxy6np3EdjJquLG67voRWGiPiAdm7Jg",[284,285,286,287,288,289,290,291,292,293,294,295,296,297,298],"Belize","Bolivia","Brazil","Colombia","Costa Rica","Ecuador","French Guiana","Guatemala","Honduras","Mexico","Nicaragua","Panama","Peru","Trinidad & Tobago","Venezuela",[300,301,302],{"name":59,"slug":33},{"name":60,"slug":33},{"name":61,"slug":33},[304,326,340],{"slug":305,"scientificName":306,"genus":307,"nickname":308,"aliases":309,"tagline":312,"image":313,"experience":39,"guide":33,"difficulty":32,"workerSize":314,"majorSize":316,"queenSize":317,"temperature":320,"hibernation":44,"hibernationTemperature":33,"hibernationBand":44,"sizeClass":322,"founding":42,"colonyStructure":323,"regions":324},"carebara-diversa","Carebara diversa","Carebara","Asian marauder ant",[310,311],"East Indian harvesting ant","Asian army ant","A raiding marauder whose columns of tiny workers and giant-headed majors look like army ants, with the smallest workers riding on the biggest.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fcarebara-diversa.jpg",[235,315],9,15,[318,319],19,25,[321,76],26,"large","facultative",[325],"asia",{"slug":327,"scientificName":328,"genus":329,"nickname":330,"aliases":331,"tagline":333,"image":334,"experience":39,"guide":33,"difficulty":32,"workerSize":335,"majorSize":76,"queenSize":336,"temperature":338,"hibernation":44,"hibernationTemperature":33,"hibernationBand":44,"sizeClass":322,"founding":42,"colonyStructure":7,"regions":339},"dinomyrmex-gigas","Dinomyrmex gigas","Dinomyrmex","Giant forest ant",[332],"Malaysian giant ant","A night-active giant of the Southeast Asian rain forests, whose sprawling colonies settle border disputes with ritual tournaments between big-headed majors.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fdinomyrmex-gigas.jpg",[62,319],[76,337],32,[75,321],[325],{"slug":341,"scientificName":342,"genus":343,"nickname":344,"aliases":345,"tagline":348,"image":349,"experience":39,"guide":33,"difficulty":32,"workerSize":350,"majorSize":353,"queenSize":354,"temperature":356,"hibernation":44,"hibernationTemperature":33,"hibernationBand":44,"sizeClass":322,"founding":42,"colonyStructure":323,"regions":358},"oecophylla-smaragdina","Oecophylla smaragdina","Oecophylla","Asian weaver ant",[346,347],"Green tree ant","Green ant","Long-legged tree ants that stitch living leaves into nests with silk from their own larvae, and an expert-level challenge to keep.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Foecophylla-smaragdina.jpg",[351,352],5,8,10,[355,319],20,[357,76],24,[325,359],"oceania",[361,368,374],{"id":362,"title":363,"description":364,"image":365,"categoryText":366,"path":367},"blog\u002Fkeeping-leafcutter-ants-v2-the-ant-pod.md","Keeping Leafcutter Ants V2 - The Ant Pod","How to keep leafcutter ants: the best leaves to offer, like bramble and apple, how to prevent escapes and how to keep colony growth under control.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fthe_ant_pod_29_keeping_leafcutter_ants_v2.jpg","Podcasts","\u002Fkeeping-leafcutter-ants-v2-the-ant-pod",{"id":369,"title":370,"description":371,"image":372,"categoryText":366,"path":373},"blog\u002Fwhen-ant-colonies-grow-out-of-control-the-ant-pod.md","When Ant Colonies Grow Out of Control! - The Ant Pod","What do you do when an ant colony gets too big? Lynn, Jake and Alex cover overcrowding, cleaning large outworlds, diet control and downsizing.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fthe_antpod_ant_colonies_out_of_control_40.jpg","\u002Fwhen-ant-colonies-grow-out-of-control-the-ant-pod",{"id":375,"title":376,"description":377,"image":378,"categoryText":366,"path":379},"blog\u002Fpreparing-ants-for-vacation-the-ant-pod.md","Preparing Ants For Vacation - The Ant Pod","Going on vacation? How to prepare your ant colonies: topping up water, long-lasting food, escape-proof setups, room temperature and someone to check in.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fthe_antpod_ants_vacation_47.jpg","\u002Fpreparing-ants-for-vacation-the-ant-pod",1791900222527]