SPECIES PROFILE: Acromyrmex octospinosus

This popular species are famed for their trails of leaf-toting workers and fungus cultivation

BASIC INFORMATION

Scientific name:  Acromyrmex octospinosus

Common name: Leafcutter ants

Geographic spread:  From Mexico to northern parts of South America and into the Caribbean

Habitat: Various; including forests, open agricultural fields and residential properties

Queen’s life expectancy:  8 – 15 years

Queen size: ~12mm – 14mm

Worker size: ~3mm – 15mm

Castes: Queen, workers

CARE

Care level: High. Leafcutters require specialised, spacious setups and have complete humidity and temperature requirements

Humidity requirements: 80 – 90% in the nest, up to 70% in the outworld

Temperature requirements: 24 – 28°C (75 – 82°F) in the nest, slightly lower in the outworld

Suggested housing: High vertical acrylic or glass pods with interconnecting tubes

Nutrition: Leafcutters cultivate Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a type of fungus, as their main food source. Considerable quantities of foliage, including rose, blackberry, raspberry, boxwood, elderberry, oak, and lime leaves must be provided. They can also be offered some fruit as well as sugar or honey water.

BEHAVIOUR

Hibernation: No

Nuptial flights: Early summer, often during rainy periods

Colony size: Up to 40,000

Monogyne/polygyne: Polygyne

Founding style: Semi-claustral

Species Summary

Leafcutter ants are rather unique ant that harvests the leaves of flowering plants to feed and cultivate their fungus gardens that form both their home and their larder. Cutting chunks out of leaves, they are often considered pests by farmers. Leafcutters can travel great distances to forage for leaves that are used to feed their fungus, and these long trails of ants carrying their flags have made for some very iconic images.

Due to their complex humidity and temperature requirements and complete dependence on their fungus gardens, leafcutter ants are best suited to experienced keepers with plenty of space to accommodate their need for extensive paths to travel in their search for foliage. The health of the fungus is critical to the survival of the colony, and careful management of the conditions in which the colony is kept is vital.

The sight of a long trail of leaf-toting leafcutter ants and their brain-like fungus is most impressive, and they are often seen in museums, zoos and other public displays. In the right setup, they can also offer an amazing visual effect in the keeper’s home.

Credits: Text by Raj Gata-Aura of Ant Lab. Photograph 131665694 / Acromyrmex © Isselee | Dreamstime.com.