Saussure's Plush-Covered Ant
Sericomyrmex saussurei
This small fungus-growing ant lives in soil nests in tropical forests of Central America. Workers excavate chambers, tend fungal gardens, and collect plant debris to support the fungus they eat. The adult's velvety appearance comes from a dense coating of hairs that supports beneficial microbes on its body.
- Type
- Shell / Burrow
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Saussure's Plush-Covered Ant