Odontomachus ruficeps

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.

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.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia.

Nomenclature

 * . 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 in. 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 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.