ABSTRACT
Digestion depends, among other factors, on the quality of the ingested food and on the digestive enzyme activities of the alimentary tract. The studies carried out on the digestive physiology of Ac.octospinosus are important for research on the development of new methods of control. The digestive system of the larvae of Ac.octospinosus is comparable to that of other ant species. T. Belt was the first to suspect that the leaves cut by the leaf-cutting ants did not serve as their food but as the culture substrate for their symbiotic fungus. The digestive capabilities of attine ants must be approached by means of a study of the enzymatic activities of the digestive tract and its associated glands. Enzymatic activity of the symbiotic fungus was also analyzed since it is the only food of the larval forms and a portion of the adult food.
