#leafcutter ant

[pikaole]

Leafcutter ants and Shy shrimp

And an ant with poor skills

An ant with excellent skills

[briery]

Leafcutter ant nests in South America, excavated by Luiz Forti and colleagues.

[vintagewildlife]

Leafcutter ant By: Ross E. Hutchins From: Life Nature Library: The Forest 1961

[vhsdruid]

just gonna take this if you dont mind

[futurebird]

Termitomyces titanicus

It turns out that fungus growing termites sometimes cultivate Termitomyces titanicus. This is an excellent scientific name. It's a fungi farmed by termites (like ants they do not allow it to produce "fruiting bodies" or mushroom caps while the colony is active.) But when a colony dies it will produce a massive mushroom over a meter wide.

And you can eat it!

Hence the species name.

The fungi farmed by ants also produces mushrooms when their colonies die out. This fungi can't survive without the ants and the ants propagate it by carrying it with them when they found new nests:

So what is the purpose of the mushrooms?

Is it just a hold-over from the days before the fungi was dependent on ants?

I've been trying to find out if you can eat the ones that grow on old ant nests.

myrmepropagandist (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image I had NO IDEA that Atta fungus could fruit. Can people eat it? The ants have optimized the fungus for protein, sugars, am

[roaches-are-forever]

by Janell Cannon, from Crickwing (2000)

[deermouth]

Leafcutter ants, Belize

[lauraciello]

𝐎𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 - 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐚  ; ♡

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General Overview:

( 🌿 ) ; Name — Relva

( 🌿 ) ; Species — Leafcutter Ant

( 🌿 ) ; Binomen — Acromyrmex subterraneus

( 🌿 ) ; Gender — Female

( 🌿 ) ; Age — Young Adult

( 🌿 ) ; Affiliation — Queendom of Aurora

( 🌿 ) ; Position — Harvesters / Gardener Worker

Relationships:

( 🌿 ) ; Mom — Queen Aurora

( 🌿 ) ; Sisters — Queendom of Aurora Ants

( 🌿 ) ; Son — (no name)

( 🌿 ) ; Friends — Cisco, Silte and Zig

( 🌿 ) ; Enemies — Nasuti Empire Termites

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Description:

Relva is the protagonist of the story and also one of the newest ants to emerge in the Queendom of Aurora. As a harvester, her job is to use her sharp jaws to cut leaves and carry the pieces back to the colony. However, her way of thinking and act often gets her into trouble with the veterans, which leads to her getting grounded inside the anthill.

Although she tries to follow the rules, this restless and very curious ant has the terrible habit of solving things her own way and is not easily satisfied with superficial answers. If there is a rule, she wants to know why it was created; and if a weird noise comes from the bushes, she wants to know what is making it.

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Informações Básicas:

( 🌿 ) ; Nome — Relva

( 🌿 ) ; Espécie — Quenquém-caiapó

( 🌿 ) ; Binômio — Acromyrmex subterraneus

( 🌿 ) ; Gênero — Feminino

( 🌿 ) ; Idade — Jovem Adulta

( 🌿 ) ; Afiliação — Reino de Aurora

( 🌿 ) ; Cargo — Operária Coletora / Jardineira

Relacionamentos:

( 🌿 ) ; Mãe — Rainha Aurora

( 🌿 ) ; Irmãs — Formigas do Reino de Aurora

( 🌿 ) ; Filho — (sem nome)

( 🌿 ) ; Amigos — Cisco, Silte e Zig

( 🌿 ) ; Inimigos — Cupins do Império Nasuti

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Descrição:

Relva é a protagonista da história e também uma das formigas mais novas a surgir no Reino de Aurora. Como coletora, sua função é utilizar suas mandíbulas afiadas para cortar folhas e levar os pedaços de volta para a colônia. No entanto, sua maneira de pensar e agir muitas vezes a coloca em apuros com as formigas mais velhas, o que faz com que ela acabe ficando de castigo dentro do formigueiro.

Embora tente seguir as regras, essa formiga inquieta e muito curiosa tem o péssimo hábito de resolver as coisas à sua maneira e não se satisfaz facilmente com respostas superficiais. Se existe uma regra, ela quer saber por que foi criada; e se um barulho estranho vem dos arbustos, ela quer saber o que o está causando.

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