Atta, Fabricius, 1804

Smith, F., 1858, Catalogue of the hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae., London: British Museum : 161

Genus 1. ATTA .

Formica , pt., Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 962 (1766).

Atta , St. Farg. Hym. i. 173 (nec Fabr.) (1836).

Myrmica , pt., Nyl. Form. Fr. et d'Alger. 83 (1856).

Aphenogaster , Mayr. Form. Austr. 194 (1855).

Maxillary palpi 4-jointed, labial palpi 3-jointed; antennae 12- jointed in the female and worker, 13-jointed in the male. Wings longer than the body, with one marginal and three submarginal cells, the third sometimes incomplete; the second submarginal cell bell-shaped, the nervure at its apex uniting with that at the base of the marginal cell. Abdomen with two nodes in the petiole; the large workers usually with enormously developed heads, the small workers with heads of the ordinary size. Pl. IX. fig. 24.

It is very probable, that were the palpi of all the species included in this catalogue examined, they would not agree in the number of joints given in the generic characters of Atta , and at a future time it may be necessary to remove some into the genus Solenopsis , or to establish new genera for their reception; it will be observed that in many instances only one sex has been examined, and frequently only single examples; we have therefore included in the present genus all those forms which appear to have a close relationship to the type, Formica barbara of Linnaeus.