Odontomachus assiniensis

Odontomachus assiniensis
	Head showing large mandibles
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Genus:	Odontomachus
Species:	O. assiniensis
Binomial name
	Odontomachus assiniensis; Emery, 1892

Last updated April 28, 2019

Odontomachus assiniensis is a species of ponerinae ant known as a trap-jaw ant. The trap-jaw mechanism consists of mandibles which spring shut when triggered.^[1] This ant was first described in 1892 by the Italian entomologist Carlo Emery. The type locality is the Ivory Coast,^[2] where the coastal site of Assini, in the southeast, gIves the specific name assiniensis, "of Assini".

In biology, a species ( ) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.

Ponerinae is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group, with about 1,600 species in 47 extant genera, including Dinoponera gigantea - one of the world's largest species of ant. Mated workers have replaced the queen as the functional egg-layers in several species of ponerine ants. In such queenless species, the reproductive status of workers can only be determined through ovarian dissections.

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.

Description

The worker ranges in length from 11 to 14 mm (0.43 to 0.55 in). It is larger than Odontomachus troglodytes , with a petiolar node that is higher and more compressed. The labial palps have four segments. The colouring varies across its large range, with most forms being some shade of brown, with brown femurs and yellowish legs. Individuals from Ghana tend to have red heads, and those from Guinea have yellow femurs and shiny black propodeums.^[2]

The propodeum or propodium is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera. It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongly constricted posteriorly to form the articulation of the petiole, and gives apocritans their distinctive shape.

Distribution and habitat

O. assiniensis is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Its range extends from Guinea, Ghana, Cameroun and the Congo to Kenya, Mozambique,^[2] and South Africa. It is a terrestrial forest species being found mainly in tropical rainforest and also in other moist forests, swamp forests and evergreen forests.^[3]

Ecology

This terrestrial species is found on the forest floor, among leaf litter, in rotten logs, under stones and fallen timber.^[3] Nests have been reported from such places as the inside of dead wood lying on the ground,^[2] and in one instance, in the soil in coarse grassland. This nest had multiple entrances and was about 50 cm (20 in) in diameter.^[3] In this species, unmated workers can lay eggs, and these always develop into males.^[4]

These ants are predators, their diet mostly consisting of termites, but also including other small insects captured on the surface of the ground. Larger prey is stung but smaller prey is killed by a snap of the jaws.^[2]

Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation and parasitoidism. It is distinct from scavenging on dead prey, though many predators also scavenge; it overlaps with herbivory, as a seed predator is both a predator and a herbivore.

Termites are eusocial insects that are classified at the taxonomic rank of infraorder Isoptera, or as epifamily Termitoidae within the cockroach order Blattodea. Termites were once classified in a separate order from cockroaches, but recent phylogenetic studies indicate that they evolved from close ancestors of cockroaches during the Jurassic or Triassic. However, the first termites possibly emerged during the Permian or even the Carboniferous. About 3,106 species are currently described, with a few hundred more left to be described. Although these insects are often called "white ants", they are not ants.

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Fantails are small insectivorous birds of Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent belonging to the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae. Most of the species are about 15 to 18 cm long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "fantails", but the Australian willie wagtail is a little larger, and, though still an expert hunter of insects on the wing, concentrates equally on terrestrial prey.

The picathartes, rockfowl or bald crows are a small genus of two passerine bird species forming the family Picathartidae found in the rain-forests of tropical west and central Africa. They have unfeathered heads, and feed on insects and invertebrates picked from damp rocky areas. Both species are totally non-migratory, being dependent on a specialised rocky jungle habitat. Both species are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List.

Formica rufa, also known as the red wood ant, southern wood ant, or horse ant, is a boreal member of the Formica rufa group of ants, and is the type species for that group. It is native to Europe and Anatolia but is also found in North America, in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. Workers are bicolored red and brownish-black, with a dorsal dark patch on the head and promensonotum, and are polymorphic, measuring 4.5–9 mm in length. They have large mandibles and like many other ant species they are able to spray formic acid from their abdomens as a defence. Formic acid was first extracted in 1671 by the English naturalist John Ray by distilling a large number of crushed ants of this species.

Dorylus, also known as driver ants, safari ants, or siafu, is a large genus of army ants found primarily in central and east Africa, although the range also extends to southern Africa and tropical Asia. The term siafu is a loanword from Swahili, and is one of numerous similar words from regional Bantu languages used by indigenous peoples to describe various species of these ants. Unlike the New World members of the former subfamily Ecitoninae, members of this genus do form temporary anthills lasting from a few days up to three months. Each colony can contain over 20 million individuals. As with their New World counterparts, there is a soldier class among the workers, which is larger, with a very large head and pincer-like mandibles. They are capable of stinging, but very rarely do so, relying instead on their powerful shearing jaws.

<i>Oecophylla smaragdina</i> species of insect

Oecophylla smaragdina is a species of arboreal ant found in tropical Asia and Australia. These ants form colonies with multiple nests in trees, each nest being made of leaves stitched together using the silk produced by the ant larvae.

Odontomachus, or trap-jaw ants, is a genus of carnivorous ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.

Odontomachus bauri is a species of ponerinae ant known as trap jaw ants. The trap jaw consists of mandibles which contain a spring-loaded catch mechanism.

The white-necked rockfowl is a medium-sized bird in the family Picathartidae, with a long neck and tail. Also known as the white-necked picathartes, this passerine is mainly found in rocky forested areas at higher altitudes in West Africa from Guinea to Ghana. Its distribution is patchy, with populations often being isolated from each other. The rockfowl typically chooses to live near streams and inselbergs. It has no recognized subspecies, though some believe that it forms a superspecies with the grey-necked rockfowl. The white-necked rockfowl has greyish-black upperparts and white underparts. Its unusually long, dark brown tail is used for balance, and its thighs are muscular. The head is nearly featherless, with the exposed skin being bright yellow except for two large, circular black patches located just behind the eyes. Though the bird is usually silent, some calls are known.

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Formica pratensis, the black-backed meadow ant, is a species of European red wood ant in the family Formicidae.

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The green-head ant, also known as the green ant or metallic pony ant, is a species of ant that is endemic to Australia. It was described by British entomologist Frederick Smith in 1858 as a member of the genus Rhytidoponera in the subfamily Ectatomminae. These ants measure between 5 to 7 mm. The queens and workers look similar, differing only in size, with the males being the smallest. They are well known for their distinctive metallic appearance, which varies from green to purple or even reddish-violet. Among the most widespread of all insects in Australia, green-head ants are found in almost every Australian state, but are absent in Tasmania. They have also been introduced in New Zealand, where several populations have been established.

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References

↑ Lab, P. "Mechanisms of Movement: Trap-Jaw Ants – The Patek Lab" . Retrieved 3 April 2017.
1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, Brian (2013). "Odontomachus assiniensis Emery". The Ants of Africa. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
1 2 3 "Species: Odontomachus assiniensis". AntWeb. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
↑ Engelmann, Franz (2015). The Physiology of Insect Reproduction. Elsevier Science. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-4831-8653-5.

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[Mechanisms_of_Movement-1] Lab, P. "Mechanisms of Movement: Trap-Jaw Ants – The Patek Lab" . Retrieved 3 April 2017.

[Taylor-2] 1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, Brian (2013). "Odontomachus assiniensis Emery". The Ants of Africa. Retrieved 3 April 2017.

[AntWeb-3] 1 2 3 "Species: Odontomachus assiniensis". AntWeb. Retrieved 3 April 2017.

[4] Engelmann, Franz (2015). The Physiology of Insect Reproduction. Elsevier Science. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-4831-8653-5.