New records for two different species of the leaf-cutting ant genus Atta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Córdoba, Argentina: Atta saltensis and Atta vollenweideri.

Mariana Pereyra; Corina Anahí Barrera

doi:10.30550/j.azl/2455

Authors

Mariana Pereyra Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2831-3060
Corina Anahí Barrera Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5554-541X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/2455

Keywords:

central Argentina, fungus-growing ants, dominant herbivorous, ecosystem engineers

Abstract

Leaf-cutting ants are exceptionally dominant Neotropical herbivores, with their southernmost distribution found in Argentina. Ants of the genus Atta perform several functions that can significantly impact the environment, one of the most important being the construction of large nests, which has earned them the well-deserved name of ‘ecosystem engineers’. However, the profound impacts these ants have
on ecosystems, such as the removal of large amounts of biomass, can be devastating in some human-modified environments. Understanding the distribution of these key ant species is fundamentally important. Although leafutting ants have been extensively studied, the distribution of some Atta species remains incompletely documented in Argentina, particularly because several historical records lack precise locality data or verifiable voucher information. This article reports two voucher-supported collection records of Atta ant species (Atta saltensis and Atta vollenweideri) in Córdoba Province, central Argentina.

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