Odontomachus haematodus

DaRocha et al. (2015) studied the diversity of ants found in bromeliads of a single large tree of Erythrina, a common cocoa shade tree, at an agricultural research center in Ilhéus, Brazil. Forty-seven species of ants were found in 36 of 52 the bromeliads examined. Bromeliads with suspended soil and those that were larger had higher ant diversity. Odontomachus haematodus was found in 15 different bromeliads and was associated with the suspended soil and litter of the plants.

Identification Keys including this Taxon

 * Key to US Odontomachus species
 * Key to Odontomachus of the New World

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Nearctic Region: United States. Neotropical Region: Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Greater Antilles, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Lesser Antilles, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela. Palaearctic Region: China.



French Guiana
A study by Talaga et al. (2015) investigated the species of ants found in the bromeliad Aechmea aquilega. Odontomachus haematodus was "by far the most frequent species in the rural area where it occupied 60% of all of the sampled plants sheltering ants. We noted that elementary nests (the colonies are composed of multiple nests) of this species were installed both between the leaves of several adjacent A. aquilega individuals and between their shoots and the bark of the host trees." They also note this species can nest in decaying logs and branches on the ground.

Puerto Rico
Wheeler (1908): Common, nesting under stones or logs or in untidy mound nests about the roots of trees, but only in shady places and rather rich soil.

Nomenclature

 *  haematodus. Formica haematoda Linnaeus, 1758: 582 (q.) "America meridionali". Emery, 1899c: 5 (l.); Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1952c: 646 (l.). Combination in Odontomachus: Latreille, 1804: 179. Senior synonym of maxillosa: Retzius, 1783: 75; Olivier, 1792: 502; Latreille, 1802c: 192; of hirsutiusculus: Roger, 1863b: 22; Brown, 1976a: 104; of pallipes and material of the unavailable name bruneipes referred here: Brown, 1976a: 104.
 * maxillosa. Formica maxillosa De Geer, 1773: 601, pl. 31, figs. 3-5 (q.) SURINAM. Junior synonym of haematodus: Retzius, 1783: 75; Olivier, 1792: 502; Latreille, 1802c: 192.
 * hirsutiusculus. Odontomachus hirsutiusculus Smith, F. 1858b: 78 (w.) BRAZIL. Forel, 1909a: 252 (q.). Subspecies of insularis: Dalla Torre, 1893: 51; of haematodus: Roger, 1861a: 24; Forel, 1907e: 1; Wheeler, W.M. 1911a: 22. Junior synonym of haematodus: Roger, 1863b: 22; Brown, 1976a: 104.
 * pallipes. Odontomachus haematoda var. pallipes Crawley, 1916b: 368 (w.) GUYANA. Junior synonym of haematodus: Brown, 1976a: 104.

Odontomachus hirsutiusculus

Two syntype workers in. Both labelled, “Santarem. 54/63.” Acc. Reg.: “1854 no. 63 (Oct. 11) Brazil (Santarem on the Amazon). Purchased from Stevens. Collected by Mr Bates, Alta de Chai near Santarem.”