Odontomachus ruficeps

Odontomachus ruficeps
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Odontomachus
Species:	O. ruficeps
Binomial name
Odontomachus ruficeps Smith, F., 1858 Specimen labels
Synonyms
Odontomachus coriarius Mayr, 1876 Odontomachus coriarius magnus Mayr, 1876 Odontomachus coriarius obscura Crawley, 1922 Odontomachus coriarius semicircularis Mayr, 1876 Odontomachus ruficeps acutidens Forel, 1900 Odontomachus ruficeps rubriceps Forel, 1915 Odontomachus ruficeps rufescens Forel, 1915 Odontomachus septentrionalis Crawley, 1915 Odontomachus sharpei Forel, 1893

The only Odontomachus species recorded from the SWBP is Odontomachus ruficeps. It has a wide distribution throughout WA. In the north of the state O. ruficeps is one of the commonest ponerines, but further south it appears to be less abundant.

Photo Gallery

• 

  Odontomachus ruficeps, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 9 February 2008.
• 

  Odontomachus ruficeps, Roebourne, Western Australia. Photo by Farhan Bokhari, 15 June 2011.

Identification

Heterick (2009) - A member of the Odontomachus ruficeps group. Worker ants in WA localities at about the same latitude as Perth are generally concolorous black or reddish-black. Further north, workers usually have a bright red head capsule, contrasting with a darker red mesosoma and black gaster.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Australian Odontomachus Species
• Key to Odonotomachus of the Indo-Australian Region
• Key to Ponerinae genera of the southwestern Australian Botanical Province

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 22.5045° to -36°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Association with Other Organisms

 Explore: Show all Associate data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

This species is a host for the eucharitid wasp Chalcura affinis (a parasite) (Universal Chalcidoidea Database) (primary host).

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• ruficeps. Odontomachus ruficeps Smith, F. 1858b: 81 (w.) AUSTRALIA (no state data).
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Australia: “New Holl, 44/4”.
  • [Note: BMNH Accessions Register records, “1844 no. 4 New Holland n. and nw. coast. Presented by Haslar Hospital. Collected by Bynoe esq. Surgeoan R.N.”]
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Forel, 1910b: 10 (m.).
  • Status as species: Roger, 1863b: 22; Mayr, 1863: 437; Mayr, 1886c: 358; Forel, 1893d: 459; Dalla Torre, 1893: 52; Forel, 1907h: 272; Forel, 1910b: 10; Emery, 1911d: 115; Forel, 1915b: 33; Crawley, 1922b: 438 (redescription); Karavaiev, 1925c: 295; Brown, 1976a: 105, 120; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297; Heterick, 2009: 134.
  • Senior synonym of acutidens: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of coriarius: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of magnus: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of obscura: Brown, 1976a: 106; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of rubriceps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of rufescens: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of semicircularis: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of septentrionalis: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of sharpei: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Distribution: Australia.
• acutidens. Odontomachus ruficeps r. acutidens Forel, 1900b: 56 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: NW Australia, Adelaide River (J.J. Walker).
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Crawley, 1921: 90 (q.m.).
  • Subspecies of ruficeps: Emery, 1911d: 115; Stitz, 1911a: 356; Crawley, 1915a: 130; Forel, 1915b: 34; Crawley, 1921: 90.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 294.
• coriarius. Odontomachus coriarius Mayr, 1876: 85 (w.m.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
  • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype males (numbers not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: Queensland, Rockhampton (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: NHMW.
  • Status as species: Emery, 1892d: 561 (in key); Dalla Torre, 1893: 50; Crawley, 1922b: 440 (in text).
  • Subspecies of ruficeps: Forel, 1893d: 459 (in text); Emery, 1911d: 115.
  • Subspecies of haematodus: Wheeler, W.M. 1915g: 806.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 295.
• magnus. Odontomachus coriarius var. magnus Mayr, 1876: 85 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
  • Type-material: holotype(?) worker.
  • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
  • Type-locality: Australia: Queensland, Rockhampton (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: NHMW.
  • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Emery, 1911d: 115.
  • Subspecies of coriarius: Dalla Torre, 1893: 50.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 296.
• obscura. Odontomachus coriarius var. obscura Crawley, 1922b: 437, fig. 1 (w.) AUSTRALIA (no state data).
  • Type-material: holotype(?) worker.
  • [Note: no indication of number of specimens is given.]
  • Type-locality: Australia (no further data) (J. Clark).
  • Type-depository: OXUM.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 296.
• rubriceps. Odontomachus ruficeps var. rubriceps Forel, 1915b: 33 (w.m.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
  • Type-material: syntype workers, syntype males (numbers not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: NW Australia, Kimberley Dist., Noonkanbah, Broome (E. Mjöberg).
  • Type-depository: ANIC, MHNG (perhaps also in NHRS).
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
• rufescens. Odontomachus ruficeps var. rufescens Forel, 1915b: 34 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Western Australia).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Australia: NW Australia, Kimberley Dist. (E. Mjöberg).
  • Type-depository: MHNG (perhaps also in NHRS).
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
• semicircularis. Odontomachus coriarius var. semicircularis Mayr, 1876: 85 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Queensland).
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-localities: Australia: Queensland, Peak Downs, and Gayndah (no collector’s name).
  • Type-depository: NHMW.
  • As unavailable (infrasubspecific) name: Forel, 1902h: 535; Emery, 1911d: 115.
  • Subspecies of coriarius: Dalla Torre, 1893: 50.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
• septentrionalis. Odontomachus septentrionalis Crawley, 1915a: 130 (w.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory).
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Australia: Northern Territory, Stapleton, 21.xii.1912 (G.F. Hill).
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
• sharpei. Odontomachus sharpei Forel, 1893d: 458 (q.) AUSTRALIA (Northern Territory).
  • Type-material: holotype queen.
  • Type-locality: Australia: NW Australia, Adelaide River (J.J. Walker).
  • Type-depository: MHNG.
  • Status as species: Emery, 1911d: 115.
  • Junior synonym of ruficeps: Brown, 1976a: 105; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 36; Taylor, 1987a: 49; Bolton, 1995b: 297.

Type Material

• Odontomachus ruficeps: Holotype, worker, Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
• Odontomachus ruficeps: Syntype, 4 workers, Kimberley distr., Noonkanbah and Broome, Western Australia, Australia, Australian National Insect Collection.
• Odontomachus ruficeps: Syntype, worker(s), Australia, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
• Odontomachus ruficeps: Syntype, worker(s), Kimberley distr., Western Australia, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.
• Odontomachus coriarius magnus: Syntype, 1 worker, Gayndah, Queensland, Australia, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.
• Odontomachus coriarius magnus: Syntype, 2 workers, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.
• Odontomachus coriarius: Syntype, 2 workers, 2 males, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.
• Odontomachus coriarius obscura: Syntype, 2 workers, Hovea, Western Australia, Australia, Australian Museum.
• Odontomachus coriarius obscura: Syntype, worker, Western Australia, Australia, Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
• Odontomachus coriarius obscura: Syntype, 2 workers, Kelmscott, Western Australia, Australia, Queensland Museum.
• Odontomachus coriarius obscura: Syntype, 2 workers, Kelmscott, Western Australia, Australia, Western Australian Museum.
• Odontomachus coriarius semicircularis: Syntype, 3 workers, Peak Downs, Queensland, Australia, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna.
• Odontomachus coriarius semicircularis: Syntype, worker(s), Gayndah, Queensland, Australia.
• Odontomachus septentrionalis: Holotype, worker, Stapleton, Northern Territory, Australia, The Natural History Museum.
• Odontomachus septentrionalis: Paratype, 2 workers, Stapleton, Northern Territory, Australia, Queensland Museum.
• Odontomachus sharpei: Holotype, queen, Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia, Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève.

The following notes on F. Smith type specimens have been provided by Barry Bolton (details):

Odontomachus ruficeps

Holotype worker in The Natural History Museum. The specimen matches the description very well but Smith merely gives “Australia” as the type-locality, whereas the specimen has, “O. ruficeps Sm. Type,” and “New Holl, 44/4.” Acc. Reg.: “1844 no. 4 New Holland n. and nw. coast. Presented by Haslar Hospital. Collected by Bynoe esq. Surgeoan R.N.”

References

• Brown, W. L., Jr. 1976c. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, tribe Ponerini, subtribe Odontomachiti. Section A. Introduction, subtribal characters. Genus Odontomachus. Stud. Entomol. 19: 67-171 (page 105, Senior synonym of acutidens, coriarius, magnus, obscura, rubriceps, rufescens, semicircularis, septentrionalis and sharpei)
• Crawley, W. C. 1922a. New ants from Australia. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9(9): 427-448 (page 438, see also)
• Forel, A. 1910b. Formicides australiens reçus de MM. Froggatt et Rowland Turner. Rev. Suisse Zool. 18: 1-94 (page 10, male described)
• Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
• Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
• Radchenko, A.G., Fisher, B.L., Esteves, F.A., Martynova, E.V., Bazhenova, T.N., Lasarenko, S.N. 2023. Ant type specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the collection of Volodymyr Opanasovych Karawajew. Communication 1. Dorylinae, Poneromorpha and Pseudomyrmecinae. Zootaxa, 5244(1), 1–32 (doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5244.1.1).
• Satria, R. 2017. Taxonomy of the ant genus Odontomachus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) in the Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan subregions. Ph.D. thesis, Tokyo Metropolitan University.
• Smith, F. 1858b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VI. Formicidae. London: British Museum, 216 pp. (page 81, worker described)

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Andersen A. N., J. C. Z. Woinarski, and B. Hoffman. 2004. Biogeography of the ant fauna of the Tiwi Islands, in northern Australia's moonsoonal tropics. Australian Journal of Zoology 52: 97-110.
• Andersen A. N., and A. D. Patel. 1994. Meat ants as dominant members of Australian ant communities: an experimental test of their influence on the foraging success and forager abundance of other species. Oecologia 98: 15-24.
• Andersen A. N., and A. H. Burbidge. 1991. The ants of a vine thicket near Broome: a comparison with the northwest Kimberley. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 73: 79-82.
• Andersen, Alan N., John C.Z. Woinarski and Ben D. Hoffman. 2004. Biogeography of the ant fauna of the Tiwi Islands, in northern Australia's monsoonal tropics. Australian Journal of Zoology 52: 97-110.
• Bluthgen N., G. Gebauer, and K. Fiedler. 2003. Disentangling a rainforest food web using stable isotopes: dietary diversity in a species-rich ant community. Oecologia 137: 426-435.
• Brown W. L., Jr. 1976. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. Part VI. Ponerinae, tribe Ponerini, subtribe Odontomachiti. Section A. Introduction, subtribal characters. Genus Odontomachus. Stud. Entomol. 19: 67-171.
• Donisthorpe, Horace. 1943. The Ants of Waigeu Island, North Dutch New Guinea. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History 11 (10): 433-475.
• Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
• Forel A. 1893. Nouvelles fourmis d'Australie et des Canaries. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 37: 454-466.
• Heterick B. E., B. Durrant, and N. R. Gunawardene. 2010. The ant fauna of the Pilbara Bioregion, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 78: 157-167.
• Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.