title: Discovering the Giant Nest Architecture of Grass-Cutting Ants, Atta capiguara (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).
abstract: Atta capiguarais a grass-cutting ant species frequently found in Cerrado biome. However, little is known about the giant nest architecture of this ant. In this study, we investigated the architecture of threeA. capiguaranests from a fragment of Cerrado in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Casts were made of the nests by filling them with cement to permit better visualization of internal structures such as chambers and tunnels. After excavation, the depth and dimensions (length, width, and height) of the chambers were measured. The results showed the shape ofAtta capiguaranests consisting of mounds of loose soil with unique features resembling a conic section. The fungus chambers were found distant from the mound of loose soil and were spaced apart and distributed laterally at the soil profile. The waste chambers were located beneath the largest mound of loose soil. Both the fungus and waste chambers were separated and distant. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the so far unknown nest architecture of the grass-cutting antA. capiguara.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Insetos Sociais-Praga, Departamento de Produção Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas/UNESP, Caixa Postal 237, 18603-970 Botucatu-SP, Brazil. luizforti@fca.unesp.br.
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Insetos Sociais-Praga, Departamento de Produção Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas/UNESP, Caixa Postal 237, 18603-970 Botucatu-SP, Brazil. anapaulaprotti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Protti de Andrade
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Insetos Sociais-Praga, Departamento de Produção Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas/UNESP, Caixa Postal 237, 18603-970 Botucatu-SP, Brazil. camargobt@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Roberto da Silva
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Insetos Sociais-Praga, Departamento de Produção Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas/UNESP, Caixa Postal 237, 18603-970 Botucatu-SP, Brazil. nacbiol@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Caldato
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Entomologia, Departamento de Fitotecnia e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), , Caixa Postal 95, 45083-900, Vitória da Conquista-BA, Brazil. aldenise.moreira@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aldenise Alves
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Moreira
keywords: grass-cutting ants; nest; social insects