attine

noun

at·tine ˈa-ˌtīn How to pronounce attine (audio)

plural attines

: any of various myrmicine ants (tribe Attini) found chiefly in tropical America that culture fungi for food

Leaf-cutters and all the other attines cultivate various kinds of fungi for colony members to eat.

Susan Milius, Science News, 21 Nov. 1998

Species of the lower attines do not cut and use leaves as the main substrate for their symbiotic fungus, but rather gather a large variety of dead vegetable matter, including bits of leaves, plant seeds, and fruits, as well as insect feces and corpses.

Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson, The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct, 2011

Note: The tribe Attini comprises ants of the genus Atta, known as leaf-cutting ants, and closely related genera.

attine adjective

The leaf-cutters represent the most advanced division of a powerful insect tribe called the attine ants, 200 species that engage in a mutually convenient arrangement with fungi.

Natalie Angier, New York Times, 13 Dec. 1994

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Attini, from Atta Atta entry 2 + -ini -ini

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

单词	attine
释义	attine noun at·tine ˈa-ˌtīn plural attines : any of various myrmicine ants (tribe Attini) found chiefly in tropical America that culture fungi for food Leaf-cutters and all the other attines cultivate various kinds of fungi for colony members to eat. Susan Milius, Science News, 21 Nov. 1998 Species of the lower attines do not cut and use leaves as the main substrate for their symbiotic fungus, but rather gather a large variety of dead vegetable matter, including bits of leaves, plant seeds, and fruits, as well as insect feces and corpses. Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson, The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct, 2011 Note: The tribe Attini comprises ants of the genus Atta, known as leaf-cutting ants, and closely related genera. attine adjective The leaf-cutters represent the most advanced division of a powerful insect tribe called the attine ants, 200 species that engage in a mutually convenient arrangement with fungi. Natalie Angier, New York Times, 13 Dec. 1994 Word History Etymology borrowed from New Latin Attini, from Atta Atta entry 2 + -ini -ini First Known Use 1922, in the meaning defined above
随便看	summer egg summer ermine summer fallow summer finch summer flounder summer forest summer forget-me-not summer grape summer grass summer hail summer haw summer heat summer heliotrope summer herring summer home summer hyacinth summer job summer kitchen summer lightning summer lilac summer mustard summer oil summer pumpkin summer rape summer rash