Odontomachus davidsoni

Identification
Long (TL > 17 mm), but slender, ferruginous to yellow brown body with striae on cephalic dorsum from antennal insertions to vertex, mandible with over 15 preapical teeth and denticles, pronotal dorsum with concentric to transverse striae. Petiole strongly pedunculate with posteriorly inclined apical spine, gaster smooth and shining.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Neotropical Region: Ecuador.

Biology
Workers of O. davidsoni were only found in the Río Canandé Reserve and its neighboring reserve Tesoro Escondido (Fig. 6). Alate queens were collected with light traps in April 2006 (Kumanii Lodge, Cotocachi-Cayapas Reserve, leg. Camacho), April and June 2018, as well as in February, March and April 2019 (Canandé Lodge, Río Canandé Reserve, leg. Hoenle). In 2018 and 2019 we frequently visited a tree in a selectively logged area of the Canandé Reserve where a few workers of the species were spotted. Foraging workers were observed predominantly during nighttime between 8 pm and 11 pm. On at least five occasions during daytime (i.e., between 9 am and 5 pm) the plot was visited, but only once foraging workers were observed. Although their exact nest position was not detected, workers were predominantly foraging on a liana attached to a Cecropia tree. The tree had a diameter of 63 cm at breast height and an estimated height of 20 m. Workers could be observed walking straight up on it until they were out of sight in a height of approx. 10 m. Workers were never seen foraging on the ground, and we thus assume that they primarily forage in the canopy. Workers were observed to sit still on the surface of leaves with their mandibles open, probably waiting to ambush prey. On the 11th of February 2019 we collected what looked like a complete nest in a fallen branch (Fig. 8; GPS data: 0.5238N, 79.2130W). The nest contained one dealate queen and 18 workers, as well as brood in all development stages. We assume that this colony was not fully grown because it contained no alates (despite other colonies having alates at this time). The single nest entry was located under a bromeliad. We opened all parts of the nest with a machete, revealing a 40cm long tubular chamber within the center of the branch (Fig. 8B). It does not look like the ants themselves carved it, hence it was probably a pre-existing cavity. We kept the colony for three months (11 February–15 April 2019) for further observations. The colony accepted various smaller insects as food, including flies, crickets, and termites. However, insects larger than 2 cm (e.g., large cicadas, moths, large crickets) were usually not accepted. Furthermore, the colony had ad libitum access to sugar water which was frequently visited. In accordance with field observations, the colony showed most activity during nighttime. No recruitment to offered food resources was observed. Due to the possibly threatened status of this ant species, the colony was released at the end of our observation time on a tree bromeliad nearby the Canandé lodge.

Nomenclature

 * . Odontomachus davidsoni Hoenle, Lattke & Donoso, in Hoenle, et al. 2020: 86, figs. 2, 3 (w.q.) ECUADOR.
 * Type-material: holotype worker, 13 paratype workers, 5 paratype queens.
 * Type-locality: holotype Ecuador: Esmeraldas, Reserva Río Canandé, 0.5281N, 79.2070W, ca 330 m., 21.ii.2019, PE39 (P. Hoenle & A. Argoti); paratypes: 3 workers with same data but 0.5252N, 79.2079W, ca 320 m., 4.ii.2019, PE23 (P. Hoenle & A. Argoti), 4 workers with same data but 29.v.2019 (P. Hoenle & A. Argoti), 2 workers with same data but 05263N, 79.2117W, ca 310 m., 6.ii.2019, PE25 (P. Hoenle), 4 workers with same data but 05238N, 79.2130W, ca 330 m., 11.ii.2019, PE36 (P. Hoenle), 2 queens with same data but 0.5263N, 79.2129W, ca 340 m., 25.i.2019, PE24 (P. Hoenle), 1 queen as last but 13.iv.2019, PE87, 1 queen as last but 9.v.2019 (P. Hoenle & A. Argoti), 1 queen Esmeraldas, Kumanii Lodge, nr Cotocachi-Cayapas Reserve, 0.7539N, 78.9208W, ca 40 m., 14.iv.2006 (L. Camacho).
 * Type-depositories: ICBQ (holotype); DZUP, ICBQ, ISNB, MCZC, PUCE (paratypes).
 * Distribution: Ecuador.