Odontomachus bauri Emery, 1892

Herrera Léon Baert Wouter Dekoninck, Henri W., Causton, Charlotte E., Sevilla, Christian R., Pozo, Paola & Hendrickx, Frederik, 2020, Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 93, pp. 1-60 : 47

Odontomachus bauri Emery, 1892

(ANTWEB: CASENT0173305). ( Map 48 )

This species is found on some Caribbean Islands as well as from south of Nicaragua down to Brazil (including the Galápagos Islands) ( KEMPF, 1972; BROWN, 1976; BRANDÃO, 1991; BOLTON, 2006). It usually occurs in the humid areas of the inhabited islands of Galápagos. The first specimens were collected in 1891 on San Cristóbal Island ( EMERY, 1893). This species was probably introduced to the archipelago through human activities (WHEELER, 1919; BROWN, 1976). Nests can be found under rocks in dry areas as well as in rotten logs at the base of dead trunks and roots. Odontomachus bauri can be found in natural areas near the coast hidden under the vegetation ( C. pyriformis and mangroves) on sandy beaches, in forests of S. pedunculata , P. floribunda and H. mancinella , and in secondary succession forests of P. guajava , C. odorata , and C. pubescens . In the humid zone it is a visitor of leaf litter where it probably forages on invertebrates, especially ants and termites ( EHMER & HÖLLDOBLER, 1995). This species has also been observed in vegetation composed of grasses ( H. glutinosa , E. pilosa , S. setosa ), ferns ( P. aquilinum , Asplenium sp. ) sedges and herbs ( P. conjugatum , Rhynchospora sp. , S. salviifolia , C. asiatica , Galactia sp. ).

Odontomachus bauri has been collected in disturbed areas and is more common in the humid agricultural zones. It has been collected in crops of C. arabica , A. cepa , S. betaceum , S. lycopersicum , M. esculenta , Z. mays , B. oleracea var. capitata , C. annuum , A. comosus , M. paradisiaca , B. oleracea var. botrytis and C. sativus . In urban zones it can be observed in gardens foraging in grass ( Z. matrella var. pacifica ). It has been found building its nests at the base of trunks of Acacia sp. , O. megasperma , C. limon , S. purpurea . Its presence on tour ships ( LOMAS, 2008) suggests that this is a mechanism for its dispersal to other islands. It is considered a minor threat in the Galápagos ( CAUSTON et al., 2006).

Figures

Map 48. Distribution of Odontomachus bauri Emery, 1892.