Odontomachus bauri is a species of ponerinae ant known as trap jaw ants. The trap jaw consists of mandibles which contain a spring-loaded catch mechanism.
This mechanism permits the ants to accumulate energy before striking or releasing the mandibles rapidly. O. bauri is known for its powerful mandibles, which can open up to about 180° and within 10 ms of being stimulated and can close within 0.5 ms, which help with catching prey. The mandibles are able to sting and paralyze prey or crush prey to death. O. bauri also uses its mandibles to propel itself or prey off of the ground either vertically or horizontally. O. bauri can travel over 20 times their body length in a single jaw-propelled leap. O. bauri is closely related to the genus Anochetus which is in the same family, Formicidae. It has been discovered from southern Costa Rica throughout tropical South America, the West Indies (except Cuba and Bahamas), and on the Galapagos Islands.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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starts withO. bauri‘s main feature is its dark brown color. Additionally, the face to the near margin of vertex is striated. The head is 2.09–3.12 mm (0.082–0.123 in) long. There is pubescence or hair on the first gastral tergum and is partially found standing straight up and relatively uniform. The petiolar node (B on Figure 2) is dome-shaped when seen from the side.
The larvae of this species are ornamented with spines and adhesive pads, like others in the genus, however present a few unique features regarding minute sensilla and the relative size of structures. They undergo three larval stages before moulting, without spinning a cocoon.
O. bauri is found from southern Costa Rica throughout tropical South America, the West Indies (except Cuba and the Bahamas), on the Galapagos Islands, and the north of Mexico. It is also one of the most common ants around homes and gardens in Southern Brazil. O. bauri is most often discovered in lowlands usually residing in tropical rainforests, although the species appears more tolerant of dry conditions than many other Odontomachus species.
O. bauri typically forms nests in soft and humid grounds in areas protected from direct sunlight and areas where there is a low chance of disturbance by nature, i.e. wind, rain etc. One may be able to find nests under rocks, branches, and trunks of fallen trees. Additionally, if they are found in gardens, they are usually under rocks, plant containers, and vegetable residues.
O. bauri has a polydomous nest structure in which there are multiple nests for a single colony. This characteristic was confirmed when researchers observed that many neighboring nests do not fight with one another, but nests which are more than 10 m (33 ft) apart would be highly aggressive towards one another. Additionally, there were many times which observers saw trap jaw ants sharing food amongst their neighbors.
Nests are usually small, roughly less than 200 ants. The foraging areas between each family of nests are strictly defined. O. bauri has been observed staying within the same area while foraging, because it would not dare step into its neighbor's foraging area.
O. bauri usually spends its time below the leaf litter, classifying it as a leaf-litter ant. It is also widely known as a generalist predator. A few of O. bauri’s common prey include worms, spiders, termites, ants, butterflies, flies, and beetles. Usually prey would be around 3 mm and 4 mm in length. The most common prey O. bauri enjoys are soft bodied, for example, termites and wood lice. O. bauri is able to “exploit a food resource largely unavailable to other ants”. This was determined after a researcher found remnants of Nasuitermes a type of termite that as a defense will discharge material that irritates and can block the predator's sensory organs. Finding parts of this type of termite prove that the mandibles of O. bauri are able to combat prey which is chemically protected.
Workers are observed returning to places where they had previously found food. The foraging success for an individual, which is measured by how many workers return with prey, would be 28%. About 41% of the workers who were returning from foraging were empty handed and the other 31% had no prey or the prey was too small to be distinguished.
