Odontomachus Rixosus.

Odontomachus rixosus is another trapjaw ant about the same size as the black Odontomachus simillimus which is common and found everywhere in this location. Odontomachus rixosus is not as common and found only in heavily wooded areas.

Odontotermes rixosus ant with a Odontotermes termite soldier.

Odontotermes rixosus worker with an Odontotermes termite worker.

A worker of Odontomachus rixosus. 

Worker of Odontomachus rixosus. Odontomachus rixosus are monomorphic with only one worker caste.

 

This first species recorded in these images have three front teeth on each of the mandibles with a center tooth right between the the top and bottom teeth. Aside from the ability to catapult itself by snapping it jaws shut on the ground or any hard surface as is common with most species in genus this species is able to jump a short height of 10 to 20 mm and a similar distance. Both workers and gyne are able to perform his hopping feat.

Odontomachus rixosus workers measuring at 10mm the workers are the same in body length as Odontomachus simillimus.

Top view of Odontomachus rixosus worker.

Close-up showing the three frontal teeth of the mandibles of this species of Odontomachus rixosus. In this subspecies the middle tooth is between the first and second whereas in the common species the middle tooth is on the bottom tooth.

A gyne of Odontomachus rixosus.

An Odonotmachus rixosus queen with her brood. Odontomachus rixosus are polygynous.

Odontomachus rixosus nest.

An alate gyne of Odontomachus rixosus.

Male of Odontomachus rixosus. Like those of Odontomachus simillimus and also that of Diacamma the males or drones leave the nest soon after eclosing (hatching out from their pupa stage). They are neither fed or cared for by the workers once they eclosed.

Odontomachus rixosus subspecies.

This second species looks almost the same as the first except that the middle tooth is not directly in between the top and bottom teeth but closer to the bottom such that it might appeared to be attached to the bottom tooth. This second species also do not jump like the first species.

Second subspecies of Odontomachus rixosus.

Lateral view of a worker of Odontomachus rixosus

Top frontal view of a worker of the trapjaw ant Odontomachus rixosus.

Close-uo of Odontomachus rixosus species showing what appears to be just two front teeth on each mandible.

But if you closely observe in the above picture the image of Odontomachus rixosus shows a third middle tooth adjacent and partial merged with (i.e. attached to) the lower or bottom tooth.

A close-up of the head of the Odontomachus rixosus worker showing the middle third tooth attached almost as a tooth of the bottom or lower tooth of the mandible.

Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Infraorder: Aculeata
Superfamily: Vespoidea
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Ponerinae
Genus: Odontomachus
Species: rixosus


Last Updated: 2013 10 03
First Posted: 2011 04 12

© Quah 2011 - 2013. All rights reserved.