The following image is an Arizona leaf-cutter ant (Acromyrmex versicolor) that I discovered in a riverbed north of the metropolis of Blythe, California. I didn't realize these ants made it into California. They are similar to the tropical leaf-cutter ants. The 4 pairs of spines on their dorsal side make handy racks for carrying oversized leaf sections on their backs! The tropical leaf-cutter (Atta) has 3 pairs of dorsal spines.

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