Odontomachus is a genus of ants commonly called trap-jaw ants found in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world.

Overview

Commonly known as trap-jaw ants, species in Odontomachus have a pair of large, straight mandibles capable of opening 180°. These jaws are locked in place by an internal mechanism, and can snap shut on prey or objects when sensory hairs on the inside of the mandibles are touched. The mandibles are powerful and fast, giving the ant its common name. The mandibles either kill or maim the prey, allowing the ant to bring it back to the nest. Odontomachus ants can simply lock and snap their jaws again if one bite is not enough, or to cut off bits of larger food. The mandibles also permit slow and fine movements for other tasks such as nest building and care of larvae. The ants were also observed to use their jaws as a catapult to eject intruders or fling themselves backwards to escape a threat.Ant Jaws Break Speed Record — Videos of Odontomachus jumping using its jaws

The larvae of trap-jaw ants are remarkable in being ornamented with long spikes and presenting dorsal adhesive pads for fixation onto internal ant nest walls. They are carnivorous, extremely active larvae. Apparently, they undergo three larval moults before entering metamorphosis. Their larvae use substrate to spin cocoons.

Diet Trap-jaw ants are mostly carnivorous, but also consume nectar, insect honeydew, and ripe fruit.

Speed record Trap-jaw ants of this genus have the second-fastest moving predatory appendages within the animal kingdom, after the dracula ant (Mystrium camillae). One study of Odontomachus bauri recorded peak speeds between , with the jaws closing within just 130 microseconds on average. The peak force exerted was in the order of 300 times the body weight of the ant, and acceleration of 1,000,000 m/s² or 100,000 g.

Mimicry The jumping spider genus Enoplomischus seems to mimic this ant genus.

Distribution Odontomachus species are found in Central and South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa.

In the United States, O. haematodus was "recorded in Alabama back in 1956, but now researchers have officially confirmed that the species has spread across the Gulf Coast, at least as far east as Pensacola, Florida." In the past, O. ruginodis was thought to be confined to the Orlando region, but Magdalena Sorger, a PhD candidate at North Carolina State University, has confirmed a record of O. ruginodis more than 100 miles north of Orlando, in Gainesville, Florida. Odontomachus relictus, however, is only found in "endangered scrub habitat on central Florida’s ancient sand ridges."

Species As of 2026, the genus contains 84 valid species, 80 of which are extant and four extinct.

Extant

Odontomachus aciculatus F. Smith, 1863 Odontomachus affinis Guerin-Meneville, 1844 Odontomachus alius Sorger & Zettel, 2011 Odontomachus allolabis Kempf, 1974 Odontomachus ampipitbaybay Acuña & Mapile, 2024 Odontomachus angulatus Mayr, 1866 Odontomachus animosus Smith, 1860 Odontomachus assiniensis Emery, 1892 Odontomachus banksi Forel, 1910 Odontomachus bauri Emery, 1892 Odontomachus biolleyi Forel, 1908 Odontomachus biumbonatus Brown, 1976 Odontomachus bradleyi Brown, 1976 Odontomachus brunneus (Patton, 1894) Odontomachus caelatus Brown, 1976 Odontomachus cephalotes Smith, 1863 Odontomachus chelifer (Latreille, 1802) Odontomachus chicomendesi França et al., 2024 Odontomachus circulus Wang, 1993 Odontomachus clarus Roger, 1861 Odontomachus coquereli Roger, 1861 Odontomachus cornutus Stitz, 1933 Odontomachus cupreus França et al., 2024 Odontomachus davidsoni Hoenle et al., 2020 Odontomachus desertorum Wheeler, 1915 Odontomachus dubius França et al., 2024 Odontomachus erythrocephalus Emery, 1890 Odontomachus ferminae General, 2018 Odontomachus floresensis Brown, 1976 Odontomachus fulgidus Wang, 1993 Odontomachus goumang Qi & Zhi, 2025 Odontomachus granatus Wang, 1993 Odontomachus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1758) Odontomachus hastatus (Fabricius, 1804) Odontomachus imperator Emery, 1887 Odontomachus infandus Smith, 1858 Odontomachus insularis Guérin-Méneville, 1844 Odontomachus kuroiwae (Matsumura, 1912) Odontomachus laticeps Roger, 1861 Odontomachus latidens Mayr, 1867 Odontomachus latissimus Viehmeyer, 1914 Odontomachus linearis Chen & Zhou, 2018 Odontomachus litoralis Wang et al., 2020 Odontomachus malignus Smith, 1859 Odontomachus meinerti Forel, 1905 Odontomachus minangkabau Satria et al., 2015 Odontomachus montanus Stitz, 1925 Odontomachus monticola Emery, 1892 Odontomachus mormo Brown, 1976 Odontomachus nigriceps Smith, 1860 Odontomachus opaciventris Forel, 1899 Odontomachus opaculus Viehmeyer, 1912 Odontomachus panamensis Forel, 1899 Odontomachus pangantihoni Zettel & Sorger, 2023 Odontomachus papuanus Emery, 1887 Odontomachus pararixosus Terayama & Ito, 2014 Odontomachus philippinus Emery, 1893 Odontomachus procerus Emery, 1893 Odontomachus relictus Deyrup & Cover, 2004 Odontomachus rixosus Smith, 1857 Odontomachus ruficeps Smith, 1858 Odontomachus rufithorax Emery, 1911 Odontomachus ruginodis Smith, 1937 Odontomachus saevissimus Smith, 1858 Odontomachus scalptus Brown, 1978 Odontomachus schoedli Sorger & Zettel, 2011 Odontomachus scifictus Sorger & Zettel, 2011 Odontomachus silvestrii W.M. Wheeler, 1927 Odontomachus simillimus F. Smith, 1858 Odontomachus spissus Kempf, 1962 Odontomachus sumbensis Brown, 1976 Odontomachus tensus Wang, 1993 Odontomachus testaceus Emery, 1897 Odontomachus troglodytes Santschi, 1914 Odontomachus turneri Forel, 1900 Odontomachus tyrannicus Smith, 1859 Odontomachus xeta França et al., 2024 Odontomachus xizangensis Wang, 1993 Odontomachus yamanei Zettel & Sorger, 2023 Odontomachus yucatecus Brown, 1976

Extinct †Odontomachus angulops França & Gomes, 2025 †Odontomachus paleomyagra Wappler et al., 2014 †Odontomachus pseudobauri (De Andrade, 1994) †Odontomachus spinifer De Andrade, 1994

Unidentifiable One species tentatively placed within the genus has subsequently been determined as unidentifiable to the species level, although it technically remains a valid binomen. Odontomachus peruanus Stitz, 1933

References

External links

Mississippi Entomology Museum: Pictures of worker and male O. haematodus Ant's super-fast bite is a built-in 'ejector seat' Ferocious ants bite like a bullet - BBC News, 21 August 2006. Elli Leadbeater. Retrieved 22 August 2006 Man-trap jaws make ant fastest predator - Scotsman, 22 August 2006. John Von Radowitz. Retrieved 22 August 2006