Abstract
Leaf-cutting ants are distributed exclusively in the Americas. For this study, we sampled different areas of native vegetation and monocultures to survey the leaf-cutting ants that occur in the State of Goiás, and to what environments they are associated. We recorded six species of leaf-cutting ants: Atta sexdens, Atta laevigata, Acromyrmex subterraneus, Acromyrmex disciger, Acromyrmex ambiguus, and Acromyrmex hispidus. The last four were registered for the first time for the State of Goiás.
Highlights
Leaf-cutting ants are distributed exclusively in the Americas
The ants of genus Atta (Fabricius, 1804) and Acromyrmex (Mayr, 1865) are widely distributed in the Americas (Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990). They represent together 77 species, 62 species of genus Acromyrmex and 17 of genus Atta (Antweb, 2020). They are known for living in association with the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (Singer 1986), which feeds on fresh vegetable fragments provided by the ants
Samplings were performed by active search in different monoculture areas and native vegetation in the municipalities of Pirenópolis (15o 51’ S, 48o 57’ W), Silvânia (16o 40’ S, 48o 36’ W), and Morrinhos (17o 45’ S, 49o 10’ W) in the State of Goiás (Oliveira-Filho & Ratter, 2002)
Summary
Leaf-cutting ants are distributed exclusively in the Americas. For this study, we sampled different areas of native vegetation and monocultures to survey the leaf-cutting ants that occur in the State of Goiás, and to what environments they are associated. Survey of leaf-cutting ant species in native vegetation and monocultures in the State of Goiás, Brazil. These ants are considered severe pests, as they defoliate plantations of economic importance, such as eucalyptus and pasture (Zanetti et al, 2000; Della Lucia, 2003; Santos et al, 2019).
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