The Texas leafcutter ant (Atta texana) is a species of fungus-farming ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It is found in Texas, Louisiana, and north-eastern Mexico. Other common names include town ant, parasol ant, fungus ant, cut ant, and night ant. It harvests leaves from over 200 plant species, and is considered a major pest of agricultural and ornamental plants, as it can defoliate a citrus tree in less than 24 hours. Every colony has several queens and up to 2 million workers. Nests are built in well-drained, sandy or loamy soil, and may reach a depth of , have 1000 entrance holes, and occupy .
Because of the massive super colonies that they can form, they have been known to cause issues in the local environment and have been a troubling pest for humans living nearby these super colonies.
Life cycle
The queen ant will deposit eggs that then hatch into cream-colored larvae. Fully developed larvae form pupae. In the spring, some larvae develop into larger () winged male and female ants, called reproductives. Males have much smaller heads than do females and both have long smoky black wings.
Behavior
The nuptial flights of A. texana synchronize in regions; the virgin queens and males fly at night. Their foraging type is Mass Recruitment (MR). The Mass Recruitment foraging type consists of many ants all going out into one big group and searching for food.