Atta cephalotes

Wells et al. (2017) - Forms large colonies with millions of workers and nests that can cover more than 100 square meters (Weber 1982, Meyer et al. 2011). In secondary forests and at forest edges, they can reach very high densities and are often the dominant herbivore in the ecosystem (Farji-Brener and Illes 2000). While they are also present in primary forests, their colonies are most common in secondary or disturbed forests (Farji-Brener 2001). The large nests of Atta cephalotes have a strong effect on the leaf-litter arthropod community, adding to spatial heterogeneity within neotropical habitats.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Lesser Antilles, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

Biology
This ant is one of the most well studied tropical ant species.

Foraging
Bustamante and Amarillo-Suarez (2019) examined how temperature influenced foraging behavior. Nests and nest fragments were brought into the laboratory from field colonies located in forest and pasture sites (Cauca River Valley, Columbia). They found a significant difference in the number foragers at leaves placed in temperature-controlled foraging arenas across a range of temperatures. There were an increasing number of foragers from 15-35C, then a sharp and dramatic drop off at 40 and 45 C. There was no difference in the responses of foragers by habitat, i.e., the pasture and forest colonies.

Reproduction
Dijkstra and Boomsma (2006) investigated the viability of worker produced eggs in Atta cephalotes, Atta sexdens and Atta colombica. Most Atta workers have rudimentary, non-functional ovaries in a queenright colony but a few, typically tending the queen, can produce trophic eggs (Dijkstra et al., 2005). These eggs are feed to the queen. It was not known if any worker eggs can produce males. No Atta cephalotes eggs developed into males. They found Atta workers are not completely infertile, as a few males were found in other species' colonies, but worker fertility is very low. They hypothesize that worker reproduction in orphaned Atta field colonies is almost never successful because the last workers die before their sons can be raised to adulthood, but the importance of worker-laid trophic eggs for queen feeding has precluded the evolutionary loss of worker ovaries.

Interactions with other organisms
Many organisms use chemicals to deter enemies. Some spiders can modify the composition of their silk to deter predators from climbing onto their webs. The Malaysian golden orb-weaver Nephila antipodiana (Walckenaer) produces silk containing an alkaloid (2-pyrrolidinone) that functions as a defense against ant invasion. Ants avoid silk containing this chemical. In the present study, we test the generality of ants' silk avoidance behavior in the field. We introduced three ant species to the orb webs of Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus) in the tropical rainforest of La Selva, Costa Rica. We found that predatory army ants (Eciton burchellii) as well as non-predatory leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes and Acromyrmex volcanus) avoided adult N. clavipes silk, suggesting that an additional species within genus Nephila may possess ant-deterring silk. Our field assay also suggests that silk avoidance behavior is found in multiple ant species.

Genetics
Atta Cephalotes has had their entire genome sequenced.

Palomeque et al. (2015) found class II mariner elements, a form of transposable elements, in the genome of this ant.

Nomenclature

 *  cephalotes. Formica cephalotes Linnaeus, 1758: 581 (w.) SURINAM. Olivier, 1792: 500 (q.m.); Wheeler, G.C. 1949: 677 (l.). Combination in Atta: Fabricius, 1804: 421; in Oecodoma: Latreille, 1818: 224. Senior synonym of migratoria: Retzius, 1783: 76; of grossa: Latreille, 1802a: 224; of fervens: Smith, F. 1858b: 180; of visitatrix: Emery, 1892b: 162; of integrior, isthmicola, lutea, oaxaquensis, opaca, polita: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.
 * migratoria. Formica migratoria De Geer, 1773: 604, pl. 31, figs. 11-13 (w.) SURINAM. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Retzius, 1783: 76.
 * fervens. Formica fervens Drury, 1782: 58, pl. 42, fig. 3 (q.) MEXICO. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Smith, F. 1858b: 180.
 * grossa. Formica grossa Fabricius, 1787: 309 (q.) SURINAM. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Latreille, 1802a: 224.
 * visitatrix. Formica visitatrix Christ, 1791: 517 (w.) SURINAM. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Emery, 1892b: 162.
 * lutea. Atta lutea Forel, 1893e: 587 (s.w.) BARBADOS. Subspecies of colombica: Forel, 1908c: 349. Revived status as species: Borgmeier, 1950d: 259. Subspecies of cephalotes: Weber, 1958a: 10. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.
 * integrior. Atta cephalotes var. integrior Forel, 1904c: 31 (w.) BRAZIL. Subspecies of cephalotes: Gonçalves, 1942: 346. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.
 * opaca. Atta cephalotes var. opaca Forel, 1904c: 31 (w.) COLOMBIA. Subspecies of cephalotes: Gonçalves, 1942: 345. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.
 * polita. Atta cephalotes subsp. polita Emery, 1905c: 54 (w.) BOLIVIA. Raised to species: Borgmeier, 1939: 423. Subspecies of vollenweideri: Borgmeier, 1950d: 243. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.
 * isthmicola. Atta cephalotes subsp. isthmicola Weber, 1941b: 127 (w.q.) PANAMA. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.
 * oaxaquensis. Atta (Atta) cephalotes subsp. oaxaquensis Gonçalves, 1942: 344 (w.) MEXICO. Junior synonym of cephalotes: Borgmeier, 1959b: 340.