Odontomachus saevissimus

Odontomachus saevissimus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Odontomachus
Species:	O. saevissimus
Binomial name
Odontomachus saevissimus Smith, F., 1858 Specimen Labels
Synonyms
Odontomachus imperator tauerni Stitz, 1925 Odontomachus saevissimus linae Donisthorpe, 1940 Odontomachus transversostriatus Donisthorpe, 1941

Identification

A member of the Odontomachus saevissimus group.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Odonotomachus of the Indo-Australian Region

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -0.616667° to -9.683329582°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia (type locality), New Guinea, Philippines.

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.

Castes

.	Owned by Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Images from AntWeb

Syntype of Odontomachus saevissimus linae. Worker. Specimen code casent0900615. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Holotype of Odontomachus transversostriatus. Worker. Specimen code casent0900616. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Holotype of Odontomachus saevissimus. Worker. Specimen code casent0900658. Photographer Ryan Perry, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by NHMUK, London, UK.

Nomenclature

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

• saevissimus. Odontomachus saevissimus Smith, F. 1858b: 80, pl. 5, fig. 10 (w.) INDONESIA (Seram I.).
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Indonesia: “Ceram 55/8” (= Seram I.) (I. Pfeiffer).
  • [Note: BMNH Accessions Register records, “1855 no. 8 (March 7) Ceram & Amboina. Purchased of S. Stevens. Collected by Madame Ida Pfeiffer during her recent travels”.]
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • [Note: 1 worker and 1 queen in OXUM, labeled “Bac” (= Bacan I.) is not type-material, but the queen is probably the one referred to by Smith, F. 1860b: 102.]
  • Smith, F. 1860b: 102 (q.); Karavaiev, 1925c: 291 (m.).
  • Status as species: Smith, F. 1861b: 44; Roger, 1861a: 28; Mayr, 1862: 711; Roger, 1863b: 21; Mayr, 1863: 437; Mayr, 1867a: 79 (redescription); Smith, F. 1871a: 319; Emery, 1892d: 559 (in key); Dalla Torre, 1893: 52; Emery, 1901g: 566; Wheeler, W.M. 1909d: 339; Emery, 1911d: 113; Stitz, 1912: 503; Viehmeyer, 1913: 155; Viehmeyer, 1914a: 112; Wheeler, W.M. & Chapman, 1925: 71; Karavaiev, 1925c: 290; Donisthorpe, 1932c: 461; Chapman & Capco, 1951: 46; Wilson, 1959a: 497; Baltazar, 1966: 240; Brown, 1976a: 106, 152; Bolton, 1995b: 297; Sarnat, et al. 2013: 73.
  • Senior synonym of linae: Brown, 1976a: 106; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of tauerni: Wilson, 1959a: 498; Brown, 1976a: 106; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Senior synonym of transversostriatus: Wilson, 1959a: 498; Brown, 1976a: 106; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
  • Distribution: Indonesia (Ambon, Bacan, Irian Jaya, Seram), Papua New Guinea (+ Bismarck Archipelago), Solomon Is.
• linae. Odontomachus saevissimus var. linae Donisthorpe, 1940c: 107 (w.q.) NEW GUINEA (Indonesia).
  • Type-material: 13 syntype workers, 1 syntype queen.
  • Type-locality: Indonesia: Irian Jaya (“Dutch New Guinea”), Cyclops Mts, Mt Lina, 3400-4500 ft, iii.1936 (L.E. Cheesman) .
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Status as species: Wilson, 1959a: 494.
  • Junior synonym of saevissimus: Brown, 1976a: 106; Bolton, 1995b: 296.
• tauerni. Odontomachus imperator var. tauerni Stitz, 1925: 116 (w.) INDONESIA (Seram I.).
  • Type-material: 5 syntype workers.
  • Type-locality: Indonesia: Ceram (= Seram I.) (Tauern).
  • Type-depository: MNHU.
  • Subspecies of imperator: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 43.
  • Junior synonym of saevissimus: Wilson, 1959a: 498; Brown, 1976a: 106; Bolton, 1995b: 297.
• transversostriatus. Odontomachus transversostriatus Donisthorpe, 1941h: 53 (w.) NEW GUINEA (Indonesia: Yapen I.).
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Indonesia: Irian Jaya, Mt Baduri, 1000 ft, viii.1938 (L.E. Cheesman).
  • Type-depository: BMNH.
  • Status as species: Chapman & Capco, 1951: 47.
  • Junior synonym of saevissimus: Wilson, 1959a: 498; Brown, 1976a: 106; Bolton, 1995b: 297.

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

Odontomachus saevissimus

Holotype in The Natural History Museum, labelled “Ceram 55/8”. Acc. Reg.: “1855 no. 8 (March 7) Ceram & Amboina. Purchased of S. Stevens. Collected by Madame Ida Pfeiffer during her recent travels. They are ticketed “Ceram.”

A dealate queen in Oxford University Museum of Natural History is labelled as type, from “Bac” (= Batjan I.). This is not type-material (locality incorrect) but is most probably the queen referred to by Smith, F. 1860b: 102. Also in Oxford University Museum of Natural History is a worker with the same “Bac” locality.

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 106, Senior synonym of linae; page 152, see also)
• Karavaiev, V. 1925c. Ponerinen (Fam. Formicidae) aus dem Indo-Australischen Gebiet. (Schluss). Konowia 4: 276-296 (page 291, male described)
• Latumahina, F., Borovanska, M., Musyafa, Sumardi, Susetya Putra, N., Janda, M. 2015. Ants of Ambon Island – diversity survey and checklist. ZooKeys 472, 43–57 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.472.8441).
• 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 80, pl. 5, fig. 10 worker described)
• Smith, F. 1860b. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace in the islands of Bachian, Kaisaa, Amboyna, Gilolo, and at Dory in New Guinea. J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 5(17b)(suppl. to vol. 4 4: 93-143 (page 102, queen described)
• Wilson, E. O. 1959c. Studies on the ant fauna of Melanesia V. The tribe Odontomachini. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 120: 483-510 (page 498, Senior synonym of tauerni and transversostriatus)
• Zettel, H., Sorger, D.M. 2023. Odontomachus yamanei sp.n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a spectacular, previously misidentified ant species from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen 75: 82–88.

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

• Brown E.S. 1959. Immature nutfall of coconuts in the Solomon Islands. II. Changes in ant populations, and their relation to vegetation. Bulletin of Entomological Research 50: 523-558.
• 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.
• CSIRO Collection
• Chapman, J. W., and Capco, S. R. 1951. Check list of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Asia. Monogr. Inst. Sci. Technol. Manila 1: 1-327
• Donisthorpe H. 1940. Some new forms of Odontomachus (Hym., Formicidae). Entomologist 73: 106-109.
• Donisthorpe, Horace. 1941. The Ants of Japen Island, Dutch New Guinea (Hym. Formicidae). The Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 91(2):51-64.
• Emery C. 1901. Formiciden von Celebes. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 14:565-580.
• Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
• Emery, C. "Catalogo delle formiche esistenti nelle collezioni del Museo Civico di Genova. Parte terza. Formiche della regione Indo-Malese e dell'Australia (continuazione e fine)." Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria (Genova) (2) 5, no. 25 (1887): 427-473.
• Janda M., G. D. Alpert, M. L. Borowiec, E. P. Economo, P. Klimes, E. Sarnat, and S. O. Shattuck. 2011. Cheklist of ants described and recorded from New Guinea and associated islands. Available on http://www.newguineants.org/. Accessed on 24th Feb. 2011.
• Karavaiev V. 1926. Ameisen aus dem Indo-Australischen Gebiet. Treubia 8: 413-445.
• Latumahina F., M. Borovanska, N. S. Putra, and M. Janda. 2015. Ants of Ambon Island – diversity survey and checklist. ZooKeys 472: 43–57.
• Lucky A., E. Sarnat, and L. Alonso. 2011. Ants of the Muller Range, Papua New Guinea, Chapter 10. In Richards, S. J. and Gamui, B. G. (editors). 2013. Rapid Biological Assessments of the Nakanai Mountains and the upper Strickland Basin: surveying the biodiversity of Papua New Guinea’s sublime karst environments. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 60. Conservation International. Arlington, VA.
• Smith F. 1861. Catalogue of hymenopterous insects collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace in the islands of Ceram, Celebes, Ternate, and Gilolo. [part]. Journal and Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. Zoology 6: 36-48.
• Smith, Fr. "Catalogue of hymenopterous insects collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace in the Islands of Bachian, Kaisaa, Amboyna, Gilolo, and at Dory in New Guinea." Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 5 (1860): 93-143.
• Snelling R. R. 1998. Insect Part 1: The social Hymenoptera. In Mack A. L. (Ed.) A Biological Assessment of the Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea, RAP 9. 189 ppages
• Stitz H. 1912. Ameisen aus Ceram und Neu-Guinea. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1912: 498-514.
• Stitz H. 1925. Ameisen von den Philippinen, den malayischen und ozeanischen Inseln. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1923: 110-136.
• Viehmeyer H. 1912. Ameisen aus Deutsch Neuguinea gesammelt von Dr. O. Schlaginhaufen. Nebst einem Verzeichnisse der papuanischen Arten. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologische-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 14: 1-26.
• Viehmeyer H. 1913. Ameisen aus dem Kopal von Celebes. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 74: 141-155.
• Viehmeyer H. 1914. Ameisen aus Perak, Bali und Ceram (Hym.) (Freiburger Molukken-Expedition), gesammelt von E. Streesemann. Entomologische Mitteilungen. Berlin-Dahlem 3: 112-116.
• Wilson E. O. 1959. Studies on the ant fauna of Melanesia V. The tribe Odontomachini. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 120: 483-510.
• Wilson Edward O. 1959. Adaptive Shift and Dispersal in a Tropical Ant Fauna. Evolution 13(1): 122-144