Odontomachus saevissimus

Identification
A member of the Odontomachus saevissimus group.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Indo-Australian Region: Indonesia, New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands.

Nomenclature

 * . 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.

Odontomachus saevissimus

Holotype in, 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 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 is a worker with the same “Bac” locality.

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