Amoimyrmex striatus

Amoimyrmex striatus
A. striatus worker
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmicinae
Genus: Amoimyrmex
Species:
A. striatus
Binomial name
Amoimyrmex striatus
(Roger, 1863)[1]

Amoimyrmex striatus is a species of leafcutter ant found in the Neotropics.[2]

It is a member of the subfamily Myrmicinae, and within the tribe Attini. As an attine, A. striatus forages for vegetation that will be applied to the fungal garden, typical in all leaf-cutting species.[3] The fungus is fed the mycophagous larvae[4] and queen, while workers are nourished primarily by the sap of cut plants, and very little by the mutualistic fungus making them respectively, phytophagous, and mycophagous.[3] The presence of leaf-cutter ants is so common in the Neotropics, that they are considered to be the main herbivores of these areas.,[2][4]

A. striatus is a polymorphic species, meaning that there are several different sizes of workers, with the largest being 6.5 mm long.[3] This is done to compartmentalize a variety of tasks so they can be done efficiently.

  1. ^ "Species: Acromyrmex striatus". AntWeb. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  2. ^ a b Cristiano, M., Cardoso, D., & Fernandes-Salomão, T. (2013). Cytogenetic and molecular analyses reveal a divergence between Acromyrmex striatus (Roger, 1863) and other congeneric species: Taxonomic Implications. PLoS ONE 8(3), 1-9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059784
  3. ^ a b c Benedito C., L. (2005). Vegetable resources used by Acromyrmex striatus (Roger) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in sand dunes at Joaquina Beach, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Revista Brasileira De Zoologia, (2), 372.
  4. ^ a b Varela, R., & Teresa C., P. (2003). Dispersal of Schinus fasciculatus seeds by the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex striatus in a shrubland of the dry chaco, Argentina. Journal of Tropical Ecology, (1). 91