Texas leaf cutting ants are rust to dark-brown in color, and workers from the same colony vary greatly in size, from 1/16 to 1/2-inch long. The queen is about 3/4 inch long. Leaf cutter workers can be distinguished from other ants by the three pairs of prominent spines on their back (thorax) and one pair of spines on the back of the head. Another species of leaf cutting ant found in Texas, Acromyrmex versicolor, may be found in the far west, drier parts of the state. Acromyrmex is a true desert ant, and can be distinguished from the Texas leaf cutting ant by having more than three pairs of (short) spines on the thorax and by the bumpy upper surface of the abdomen (gaster).The Texas leaf cutting ant queen rules the colony from her underground chambers. Colonies may have as many as four or five fertile queens, each of which continually produce eggs. Eggs develop into cream-colored larvae that become 1/4 to 1/2-inch long when fully developed. Most larvae develop into sterile female workers ants; however, in the spring, some of the larvae develop into winged males and females. These reproductive ants can number into the thousands. They are distinct from worker ants, being several times larger, that they are often not recognized as the same species. They are dark, rusty brown with have long, smoky brown-black wings. Females can be distinguished from males by their larger heads.