Acromyrmex heyeri

Acromyrmex heyeri is common in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and is known to inhabit swamps in Parana, Brazil (Goncalves, 1961; Jaffe, 1993). They harvest monocotyledonous leaves (Loeck and Grutzmacher 2001) and masticate their collected plant material into tiny pieces to create the substrate for growing their fungal gardens. A molecular study of co-occuring populations of this species and Acromyrmex ambiguus showed both of these species are cultivating Leucoagaricus gongylophorus but that there are differences in the fungal strains used by the two ant species (Pereira et al. 2015). This ant is host to the socially parasitic in Argentina and  in Uruguay.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Biology
Barrera et al. 2015 studied the diversity of leaf cutting ants along a forest-edge-agriculture habitat gradient. Their study site, in Chaco Serrano of Central Argentina, had forest remnants of various sizes within an agriculture area with wheat, soy and maize. A few colonies of A. heyeri and Amoimyrmex silvestrii were found along the forest edge. Acromyrmex crassispinus was the most abundant Acromyrmex species sampled (42% of 162 colonies) and was most abundant in the forest interior. Acromyrmex lundii and Acromyrmex striatus were also present, with the former also found in the forest interior. The latter and A. striatus were the most abundant in the forest edge habitat with A. crassispinus present there at a slightly lower density.

This species was found to be a pest in pastures in Paraguay, feeding on the grass Paspalum notatum (Sarubbi & Ramirez, 2020).

Male
Diploid males are known to occur in this species (found in 1.2% of 118 examined nests) (Araújo & Cavalli-Molina, 2001; Cournault & Aron, 2009).

Nomenclature

 * . Atta (Moellerius) heyeri Forel, 1899c: 31 (footnote) (s.w.) BRAZIL (Rio Grande do Sul).
 * Emery, 1905c: 43 (q.m.); Goni, et al. 1983: 365 (k.).
 * Combination in Acromyrmex: Bruch, 1914: 217;
 * combination in Acromyrmex (Moellerius): Gallardo, 1916d: 335; Emery, 1924d: 351.
 * Status as species: Forel, 1905b: 157; Emery, 1906c: 166; Emery, 1905c: 43; Forel, 1908c: 352; Forel, 1912e: 179; Santschi, 1912e: 530; Bruch, 1914: 217; Gallardo, 1916d: 335; Santschi, 1916e: 389; Bruch, 1921: 198; Emery, 1924d: 351; Santschi, 1925a: 386; Borgmeier, 1927c: 135; Kusnezov, 1956: 34 (in key); Gonçalves, 1961: 127; Kempf, 1972a: 15; Zolessi & Abenante, 1977: 76; Zolessi, et al. 1988: 5; Fowler, 1988: 287; Cherrett & Cherrett, 1989: 50; Brandão, 1991: 323; Bolton, 1995b: 55; Wild, 2007b: 30.
 * Senior synonym of gaudens: Fowler, 1988: 287; Brandão, 1991: 323; Bolton, 1995b: 55.
 * Senior synonym of lillensis: Fowler, 1988: 287; Brandão, 1991: 323; Bolton, 1995b: 55.
 * gaudens. Acromyrmex (Moellerius) heyeri var. gaudens Santschi, 1925a: 386 (w.) ARGENTINA (no province data).
 * [Also described as new by Santschi, 1925e: 164 (no province data).]
 * Subspecies of heyeri: Kempf, 1972a: 15.
 * Junior synonym of heyeri: Fowler, 1988: 287; Brandão, 1991: 323; Bolton, 1995b: 55.
 * lillensis. Acromyrmex (Moellerius) heyeri var. lillensis Santschi, 1925a: 386 (w.) ARGENTINA (Santa Fe).
 * [Also described as new by Santschi, 1925e: 165.]
 * Subspecies of heyeri: Kempf, 1972a: 15.
 * Junior synonym of heyeri: Fowler, 1988: 287; Brandão, 1991: 323; Bolton, 1995b: 55.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

 * Abril, A.B. and E.H. Bucher. 2007. Genetic Diversity of Fungi Occurring in Nests of Three Acromyrmex Leaf-Cutting Ant Species from Córdoba, Argentina. Microbial Ecology 54(3):417-423
 * Bonetto A. A. 1959. Las hormigas "cortadoras" de la Provincia de Santa Fé (generos: Atta y Acromyrmex). Santa Fé, Argentina: Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (Dirección General de Recurzos Naturales), 79 pp.
 * Boscardin J., E. C. Costa, J. H. C. Delabie. 2014. Relation between ant communities and environmental quality in Eucalyptus grandis submitted to different weedy species control in the south of Brazil. Entomotropica29(3): 173-182.
 * Brandao, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catalogo abreviado das formigas da regiao neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.
 * Bruch C. 1914. Catálogo sistemático de los formícidos argentinos. Revista del Museo de La Plata 19: 211-234.
 * Bruch C. 1921. Estudios mirmecológicos. Revista del Museo de La Plata 26: 175-211.
 * Cuezzo, F. 1998. Formicidae. Chapter 42 in Morrone J.J., and S. Coscaron (dirs) Biodiversidad de artropodos argentinos: una perspectiva biotaxonomica Ediciones Sur, La Plata. Pages 452-462.
 * Culebra Mason S., C. Sgarbi, J. Chila Covachina, J. M. Pena, N. Dubrovsky Berensztein, C. Margaria, and M. Ricci. 2017. Acromyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae): species distribution patterns in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rev. Mus. Argentino Cienc. Nat. 19(2) 185-199.
 * Diehl E., C. L. Gottert, and D. G. Flores. 2012. Ant communities in three species used in urban arborization in Sao Leopoldo, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Bioikos, Campinas 20(1): 25-32.
 * Diehl-Fleig E. 2014. Termites and Ants from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Sociobiology (in Press).
 * Emery C. 1906. Studi sulle formiche della fauna neotropica. XXVI. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 37: 107-194.
 * Farji Brener A. G., and A. Ruggiero. 1994. Leaf-cutting ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) inhabiting Argentina: patterns in species richness and geographical range sizes. Journal of Biogeography 21(4): 391-399.
 * Fernández, F. and S. Sendoya. 2004. Lista de las hormigas neotropicales. Biota Colombiana Volume 5, Number 1.
 * Forel A. 1905. Miscellanea myrmécologiques II (1905). Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 49: 155-185.
 * Fowler H. G. 1985. Leaf-cutting ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex of Paraguay (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Dtsch. Ent. Z., N. F. 32(1-3): 19-34.
 * Gallardo A. 1916. Notes systématiques et éthologiques sur les fourmis attines de la République Argentine. Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires 28: 317-344.
 * Gazzana Flores D., C. L. Goettert, E. Diehl. 2002. Ant communities in Inga marginata and Jacaranda micrantha in a sub-urban area. Acta Biologica Leopoldensia 24(2): 147-155.
 * Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catalago abreviado das formigas da regiao Neotropical (Hym. Formicidae) Studia Entomologica 15(1-4).
 * Kusnezov N. 1956. Claves para la identificación de las hormigas de la fauna argentina. Idia 104-105: 1-56.
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 * Mayhe Nunes A. J., and E. Diehl-Fleig. 1994. Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) distribution in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Acta Biologica Leopoldensia 16(1): 115-118.
 * Osorio Rosado J. L, M. G. de Goncalves, W. Drose, E. J. Ely e Silva, R. F. Kruger, and A. Enimar Loeck. 2013. Effect of climatic variables and vine crops on the epigeic ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Campanha region, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. J Insect Conserv 17: 1113-1123.
 * Pignalberi C. T. 1961. Contribución al conocimiento de los formícidos de la provincia de Santa Fé. Pp. 165-173 in: Comisión Investigación Científica; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Argentina) 1961. Actas y trabajos del primer Congreso Sudamericano de Zoología (La Plata, 12-24 octubre 1959). Tomo III. Buenos Aires: Librart, 276 pp.
 * Santoandre S., J. Filloy, G. A. Zurita, and M. I. Bellocq. 2019. Ant taxonomic and functional diversity show differential response to plantation age in two contrasting biomes. Forest Ecology and Management 437: 304-313.
 * Santos Rando J. S., and L. C. Forti. 2005. Occurrence of ants Acromyrmex Mayr, 1865 in some cities of Brasil. Maringá 27(2): 129-133.
 * Santschi F. 1912. Quelques fourmis de l'Amérique australe. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 20: 519-534.
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 * Santschi F. 1925. Revision du genre Acromyrmex Mayr. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 31: 355-398.
 * Santschi F. 1933. Fourmis de la République Argentine en particulier du territoire de Misiones. Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina. 116: 105-124.
 * Solomon S. E., C. Rabeling, J. Sosa-Calvo, C. Lopes, A. Rodrigues, H. L. Vasconcelos, M. Bacci, U. G. Mueller, and T. R. Schultz. 2019. The molecular phylogenetics of Trachymyrmex Forel ants and their fungal cultivars provide insights into the origin and coevolutionary history of ‘higher-attine’ ant agriculture. Systematic Entomology 44: 939–956.
 * Vittar, F. 2008. Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la Mesopotamia Argentina. INSUGEO Miscelania 17(2):447-466
 * Vittar, F., and F. Cuezzo. "Hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina." Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina (versión On-line ISSN 1851-7471) 67, no. 1-2 (2008).
 * Wild, A. L. "A catalogue of the ants of Paraguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Zootaxa 1622 (2007): 1-55.
 * Zolessi L. C. de, Y. P. Abenante, and M. E. de Philippi. 1988. Lista sistematica de las especies de Formicidos del Uruguay. Comun. Zool. Mus. Hist. Nat. Montev. 11: 1-9.
 * Zolessi L. C. de; Y. P. de Abenante, and M. E. Philippi. 1989. Catálogo sistemático de las especies de Formícidos del Uruguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Montevideo: ORCYT Unesco, 40 + ix pp.
 * de Zolessi, L.C., Y.P. de Abenante and M.E. Phillipi. 1989. Catalago Systematico de las Especies de Formicidos del Uruguay (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Oficina Regional de Ciencia y Technologia de la Unesco para America Latina y el Caribe- ORCYT. Montevideo, Uruguay