Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Gordon,
I found a new ant today while turning over some rocks in the desert here. He is pretty interesting in that he will open his mandibles wide when threatened, then we he "attacks" the mandibles snap shut with an audible pop. If he bits a plastic lid or something hard and immovable he'll actually fly back a few inches from the impact of his own bite. He was the only one I saw of this type.
He's about the size of A. Cockerelli.
Let me know if you can ID from the pics. If not, I'll try to get a better one tomorrow.
TTYL
Cable

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WWW.Phrynosoma.com

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signature edited; oversized graphic.

Edited on November 26, 2004 at 16:53:55 by phwyvern.

Cable
Just saw your post sorry for the delay. That neat ant is Odontomachus clarus. They use those snapping mandible for defense and to stun prey items.

Thanks Gordon,
I found this on the web yesterday. A very interesting ant. Wierd that I only saw one?

Odontomachus

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WWW.Phrynosoma.com

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signature edited; oversized graphic.

Edited on November 26, 2004 at 16:54:23 by phwyvern.

Cable
Actually that is not at all uncommon, I commonly find them as singles when out collecting there. They are solitaryt foragers, with small colony population sizes. Also they are incredibly timid. Thanks for the link.
Gordon