Odontomachus davidsoni sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), a new conspicuous trap-jaw ant from Ecuador

Abstract

One of the largest species in its genus, Odontomachus davidsoni Hoenle, Lattke & Donoso, sp. nov. is described from workers and queens collected at lowland forests in the Chocó-Darién bioregion in coastal Ecuador. The workers are characterized by their uniform red coloration, their large size (16–18 mm body length), and their frontal head striation that reaches the occipital margin. DNA barcodes (COI) and high resolution 2D images of the type material are provided, as well as an updated key for the Neotropical species of Odontomachus. In addition, a three-dimensional digital model of the worker holotype and a paratype queen scanned with DISC3D based on photogrammetry is presented, for the first time in a species description. Findings of large and conspicuous new species are uncommon around the world and suggest that these Ecuadorian rainforests may conceal many more natural treasures that deserve conservation.

A global phylogenetic analysis of trap‐jaw ants, Anochetus Mayr and Odontomachus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae)

“…Recently, Hoenle et al . (2020) described a new species, O. davidsoni , from Ecuador. In their molecular analyses, the morphologically similar O. hastatus (clade C) was found to be the sister of the new species.…”

Sistemática y diversidad de las hormigas neotropicales

“…Others are very recent and will surely generate many controversies. An example of this is the description of species with gene characters that accompany focus stacking photographs, biology, and distribution data [Hoenle et al (2020) for Odontomachus davidsoni]. In this sense, the morphological information is reduced to one image or a few images.…”

A new species group of Strumigenys (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Ecuador, with a description of its mandible morphology

“…This unusually high diversity is due to the three very distinct bioregions within Ecuador: the Amazon basin in eastern Ecuador, the Chocó-Darién bioregion in the northwest, and the Tumbesian drylands in the southern portion of the country ( Sierra et al 2002 ). Of these, the areas west of the Andes have been the least studied, and particularly the Chocó-Darién is a hotspot for new, previously unknown ant species ( Donoso and Ramón 2009 ; Donoso et al 2009 ; Salazar and Donoso 2013 ; Salazar et al 2015 ; Donoso 2017 ; Hoenle et al 2020 ). The Strumigenys fauna of Ecuador currently includes 51 species ( Salazar et al 2015 ), several of which are endemic (e.g., Strumigenys madrigalae Lattke and Aguirre 2015 ).…”