Superfamily FORMICOIDEA 1413 



versicolor chisosensis (Wheeler). Tex. (Mtns. of Big Bend area). 



Atta (Moellerius) versicolor chisosensis Wheeler, 1907. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 23:705. 

 9. 

 versicolor versicolor (Pergande). Ariz., Calif.; Mexico. Ecology: Nests are in soil in deserts; 

 collects pieces of leaves from bushes and herbs for a media on which to grow fungus. 

 Atta versicolor Pergande, 1893. Calif. Acad. Sci., Proc. 4:31. 5. 



Taxonomy: Wheeler, 1907. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 23:703-705 (each caste). 



Biology: Wheeler, 1907. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 23:743-746. —Wheeler, 1911. Psyche 

 18:101. —Wheeler, 1917. Psyche 24:179-180. —Weber, 1972. Amer. Phil. Soc., Mem. 92, pp. 

 22, 26, 30, 32. 



Genus ATTA Fabricius 



Atta Fabricius, 1804. Systema Piezatorum, p. 421. 



Type-species: Formica cephalotes Linnaeus. Desig. by Wheeler, 1911. 

 Oecodoma Latreille, 1818. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat. 23:223. 



Type-species: Formica cephalotes Linnaeus. Desig. by Shuckard, 1840. 

 Archeatta Goncalves, 1942. Soc. BrasU. de Agron., Bol. 5:342. 



Type-species: Oecodoma meocicana Smith. Orig. desig. 

 Atta subg. Neoatta Goncalves, 1942. Soc. Brasil. de Agron., Bol. 5:334. 



Type-species: Formica sexdens Linnaeus. Orig. desig. 

 Atta subg. Palaeatta Borgmeier, 1950. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, Mem. 48:244, 270. 



Type-species: Atta bisphaerica Forel. Orig. desig. 

 Atta subg. Epiatta Borgmeier, 1950. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, Mem. 48:246, 272. 



Type-species: Atta la^evigata Smith. Orig. desig. 



A Neotropical genus with an extension into southern United States. The nests, which are deep 

 in the soU and usually have many lateral and vertical entrances, are often extremely large and 

 contain numerous individuals. Workers defoliate both wild and domesticated plants, including 

 trees, and they feed on a fungus grown from a substratum composed of macerated leaves and 

 other vegetable matter. 



Revision: Wheeler, 1907. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 23:669-703, 729-742. —Goncalves, 1942. 

 Soc. Brasil. de Agron., Bol. 5:333-358. —Borgmeier, 1959. Studia Ent. 2:321-390. 



Taxonomy: Wheeler, 1948. Amer. Midland Nat. 40:676-683 (larvae). —Borgmeier, 1950. Inst. 

 Oswaldo Cruz, Mem. 48:239-263. —Weber, 1958. Ent. News 69:7-13. —Smith, 1963. Ent. 

 Soc. Wash., Proc. 65:299-302 (key to spp. of U. S. and Mexico; bioL notes). —Weber, 1968. 

 Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 70:348-350 (Panama species). 



Biology: Weber, 1962. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Nat. Hist. 61:45-51. 



Morphology: Blum, et al., 1968. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 26: 291-299 (alkanones and terpenes 

 in the mandibular glands of Atta species). 



mexicana (Smith). Ariz. (Organ Pipe Cactus Natl. Mon.); Mexico s. to Honduras. Ecology: 



Nests are in a variety of ecological situations and their fungus gardens are grown on a 

 wide variety of vegetable substances. 

 Oecodoma mexicana Smith, 1858. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus. 6:185. 9, d. 



Taxonomy: Wheeler, 1907. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Bui. 23:702-703. —Goncalves, 1942. Soc. 



Brasil. de Agron., Bol. 5:335, 337, 343. — Byars, 1949. Jour. Econ. Ent. 42:545 (Ariz, record; 



soldier). —Borgmeier, 1950. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, Mem. 48:260-261. —Borgmeier, 1959. 



Studia Ent. 2:351-353 (each caste). —Smith, 1963. Ent. Soc. Wash., Proc. 65:299-302. 

 texana (Buckley). La., Tex.; e. Mexico. Ecology: Nests are in well-drained sand or loamy soils. 

 The interior of the nest may reach a depth of 15 to 20 ft. and contains innumerable 

 interconnected chambers. It is connected to the exterior by numerous holes which are 

 surrounded by crater-shaped piles of dirt. In a large nest there may be 1,000 entrance 

 holes occupying an area of 4,500 square feet. The ants grow a fungus primarily on 

 macerated leaves. An economicaUy important pest; invades houses; cuts leaves from 

 domesticated plants; steals seeds; builds unsightly nests; damages roads, walks, stock, or 



