Odontomachus is a genus of ants commonly called trap-jaw ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.
Overview
Commonly known as trap-jaw ants, species in
Odontomachus have a pair of large, straight mandibles capable of opening 180°. These jaws are locked in place by an internal mechanism, and can snap shut on prey or objects when
sensory receptor hairs on the inside of the mandibles are touched. The mandibles are powerful and fast, giving the ant its common name. The mandibles either kill or maim the
prey, allowing the ant to bring it back to the nest.
Odontomachus ants can simply lock and snap their jaws again if one bite is not enough, or to cut off bits of larger food. The mandibles also permit slow and fine movements for other tasks such as nest building and care of
. The ants were also observed to use their jaws as a
catapult to eject intruders or fling themselves backwards to escape a threat.
[ Ant Jaws Break Speed Record — Videos of Odontomachus jumping using its jaws]
The of trap-jaw ants are remarkable
Diet
Trap-jaw ants are mostly carnivorous, but also consume
nectar, insect honeydew, and ripe fruit.
Speed record
Trap-jaw ants of this genus have the second-fastest moving
predatory within the
animalia,
after the dracula ant (
Mystrium camillae).
One study of
Odontomachus bauri recorded peak speeds between , with the jaws closing within just 130
on average. The peak
force exerted was in the order of 300 times the body weight of the ant, and acceleration of 1,000,000 m/s² or 100,000
g.
Mimicry
The
jumping spider genus
Enoplomischus seems to
ant mimicry this ant genus.
Distribution
Odontomachus species are found in Central and South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
In the United States, O. haematodus was "recorded in Alabama back in 1956, but now researchers have officially confirmed that the species has spread across the Gulf Coast, at least as far east as Pensacola, Florida."
Species
The 73 valid species are:
[ An Online Catalog of the Ants of the World by Barry Bolton]
-
Odontomachus aciculatus F. Smith, 1863
-
Odontomachus affinis Guerin-Meneville, 1844
-
Odontomachus alius Sorger & Zettel, 2011
-
Odontomachus allolabis Kempf, 1974
-
Odontomachus angulatus Mayr, 1866
-
Odontomachus animosus Smith, 1860
-
Odontomachus assiniensis Emery, 1892
-
Odontomachus banksi Forel, 1910
-
Odontomachus bauri Emery, 1892
-
Odontomachus biolleyi Forel, 1908
-
Odontomachus biumbonatus Brown, 1976
-
Odontomachus bradleyi Brown, 1976
-
Odontomachus brunneus (Patton, 1894)
-
Odontomachus caelatus Brown, 1976
-
Odontomachus cephalotes Smith, 1863 (Indonesia, Australia, etc.)
-
Odontomachus chelifer (Latreille, 1802)
-
Odontomachus circulus Wang, 1993
-
Odontomachus clarus Roger, 1861
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Odontomachus coquereli Roger, 1861
-
Odontomachus cornutus Stitz, 1933
-
Odontomachus desertorum Wheeler, 1915
-
Odontomachus erythrocephalus Emery, 1890
-
Odontomachus floresensis Brown, 1976 (Indonesia: Flores)
-
Odontomachus fulgidus Wang, 1993
-
Odontomachus granatus Wang, 1993
-
Odontomachus haematodus (Carl Linnaeus, 1758) (South America, introduced to Australia prior to 1876); type species
-
Odontomachus hastatus (Fabricius, 1804)
-
Odontomachus imperator Emery, 1887
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Odontomachus infandus Smith, 1858
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Odontomachus insularis Guérin-Méneville, 1844
-
Odontomachus kuroiwae (Matsumura, 1912)
-
Odontomachus laticeps Roger, 1861
-
Odontomachus latidens Mayr, 1867
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Odontomachus latissimus Viehmeyer, 1914
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Odontomachus malignus Smith, 1859
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Odontomachus mayi Mann, 1912
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Odontomachus meinerti Forel, 1905
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Odontomachus minangkabau Satria, Kurushima, Herwina, Yamane & Eguchi, 2015
-
Odontomachus montanus Stitz, 1925
-
Odontomachus monticola Emery, 1892
-
Odontomachus mormo Brown, 1976
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Odontomachus nigriceps Smith, 1860
-
Odontomachus opaciventris Forel, 1899
-
Odontomachus opaculus Viehmeyer, 1912
-
† Odontomachus paleomyagra Wappler, Dlussky, Engel, Prokop & Knor, 2014
[ An Online Catalog of the Ants of the World: O. paleomyagra]
-
Odontomachus panamensis Forel, 1899
-
Odontomachus papuanus Emery, 1887
-
Odontomachus pararixosus Terayama & Ito, 2014
-
Odontomachus peruanus Stitz, 1933
-
Odontomachus philippinus Emery, 1893
-
Odontomachus procerus Emery, 1893
-
† Odontomachus pseudobauri (De Andrade, 1994)
-
Odontomachus relictus Deyrup & Cover, 2004
-
Odontomachus rixosus Smith, 1857
-
Odontomachus ruficeps Smith, 1858 (Australia)
-
Odontomachus rufithorax Emery, 1911
-
Odontomachus ruginodis Smith, 1937
-
Odontomachus saevissimus Smith, 1858
-
Odontomachus scalptus Brown, 1978
-
Odontomachus schoedli Sorger & Zettel, 2011
-
Odontomachus scifictus Sorger & Zettel, 2011
-
Odontomachus silvestrii W.M. Wheeler, 1927
-
Odontomachus simillimus F. Smith, 1858 (Australia, Fiji, etc.)
-
† Odontomachus spinifer De Andrade, 1994
-
Odontomachus spissus Kempf, 1962
-
Odontomachus sumbensis Brown, 1976
-
Odontomachus tensus Wang, 1993
-
Odontomachus testaceus Emery, 1897
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Odontomachus troglodytes Santschi, 1914 (Africa, Madagascar, Inner Seychelles)
-
Odontomachus turneri Forel, 1900 (Australia)
-
Odontomachus tyrannicus Smith, 1859
-
Odontomachus xizangensis Wang, 1993
-
Odontomachus yucatecus Brown, 1976
External links
