Atta colombica can be locally abundant in Costa Rica but does not have the ubiquity of A. cephalotes. It is common in the southern Pacific lowlands and I have also found it to be common around Volcan Arenal. I have not found it in other parts of Costa Rica where I have collected. Around Sirena in Corcovado National Park both A. colombica and A. cephalotes were abundant when I worked there in the early 1980's.
Atta colombica has conspicuous refuse dumps on the surface, where spent fungus substrate is deposited. These are often large conical mounds off to the side of the main soil mounds. Lines of workers can be seen carrying grayish white pellets from the nest and dropping them from a single high point, such that a regular conical mound forms below. This is in contrast to the behavior of A. cephalotes, which has subterranean refuse dumps.
Guatemala to Colombia.
Taxonomic history
[Misspelled as columbica by Roger, 1863b PDF: 35, Mayr, 1865 PDF: 81, Forel, 1885a PDF: 362, Emery, 1890c PDF: 55, Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 152, Forel, 1899b PDF: 33, Forel, 1912f PDF: 179, Emery, 1913c PDF: 259, Wheeler, 1923d PDF: 5, Emery, 1924f PDF: 353, Menozzi, 1927c PDF: 268, Santschi, 1929f PDF: 92, Weber, 1938b PDF: 205, Borgmeier, 1939 PDF: 422, Bolton, 1995b: 75, and others.].Forel, 1913m PDF: 239 (m.); Borgmeier, 1959b PDF: 348 (q.); Wheeler, 1949 PDF: 681 (l.).Combination in Oecodoma: Smith, 1858a PDF: 184; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 438.Combination in Atta: Roger, 1863b PDF: 35.Subspecies of Atta lebasii: Emery, 1890c PDF: 55.Subspecies of Atta cephalotes: Emery, 1913c PDF: 258.Status as species: Smith, 1858a PDF: 184; Roger, 1863b PDF: 35; Mayr, 1863a PDF: 437; Mayr, 1865 PDF: 81; Forel, 1885a PDF: 362; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 152; Emery, 1894l PDF: 58; Forel, 1899b PDF: 33; Forel, 1908c PDF: 40; Forel, 1908 PDF: 348; Forel, 1912f PDF: 179; Forel, 1913m PDF: 239; Forel, 1914e: 10; Wheeler, 1923d PDF: 5; Emery, 1924f PDF: 353; Wheeler, 1925a: 36; Menozzi, 1927c PDF: 268; Weber, 1938b PDF: 205; Borgmeier, 1939 PDF: 422 (in list); Weber, 1941b PDF: 127; Gonçalves, 1942 PDF: 346; Borgmeier, 1950d PDF: 259; Weber, 1958a PDF: 11; Borgmeier, 1959b PDF: 345 (redescription); Kempf, 1972b PDF: 26; Cherrett & Cherrett, 1989 PDF: 53; Bolton, 1995b: 75; Branstetter & Sáenz, 2012 PDF: 257; Fernández et al., 2015 PDF: 137 (redescription) ; Guénard & Economo, 2015 10.11646/zootaxa.4040.2.8: 227; Fernández & Serna, 2019 PDF: 842.Senior synonym of Atta cephalotes erecta: Borgmeier, 1959b PDF: 346; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 27; Bolton, 1995b: 75; Fernández et al., 2015 PDF: 137.Senior synonym of Atta lebasii: Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 152; Forel, 1899b PDF: 33; Emery, 1924f PDF: 353; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 27; Bolton, 1995b: 75; Fernández et al., 2015 PDF: 137.Senior synonym of Atta colombica tonsipes: Borgmeier, 1959b PDF: 346; Kempf, 1972b PDF: 27; Bolton, 1995b: 75; Fernández et al., 2015 PDF: 137.
