Odontomachus simillimus Fr. Smith

Wilson EO, 1959, Studies on the ant fauna of Melanesia V. The tribe Odontomachini., Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 120, pp. 483-510 : 499-500

Odontomachus simillimus Fr. Smith (Fig. 4, no. 10)

Odontomachus simillimus Fr. Smith , 1858, Oat. Hym. Brit. Mus., 6:80, pi. 5, figs. 8, 9, queen. Original localities: Fiji Islands, Ceylon. Odontomachus haematodus , div. auct. (nec Formica haematoda Linne , 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1:582).

Odontomachus haematodus var. fuscipennis Forel , 1913, Zool. Jahrb. Syst., 36:19, worker, queen, male. Original localities: Peradeniya, Ceylon; Bahsoemboe, Sumatra. NEW SYNONYMY.

Material examined. MOLUCCAS: Amboina (H. Smith). NETH. NEW GUINEA : Doormanpad (W. C. van Heurn) ; Biak I. (G. E. Bohart). N-E. NEW GUINEA : Goroka, 1600 m., Asaro Valley, Central Highlands (J. J. H. Szent-Ivany) ; Mt. Misim (H. Stevens) ; Wareo; Nadzab (Wilson, no. 1100) ; Bubia (N. L. H. Krauss) ; lower Busu River (Wilson, no. 944) ; Finschhafen (Wilson) ; Bolingbangeng, 900-1000 m. (Wilson, no. 728) ; Zingzingu, 1200 m. (Wilson, no. 763). PAPUA : China Strait (W. J. Eyerdam) ; Dobodura (P. J. Darlington) ; Laloki R., near Port Moresby (Wilson, no. 528). NEW BRITAIN : St. Paul’s, Bainings Alts., Gazelle Pen. (J. L. Gressitt). NEW IRELAND : ' ' Camp Bishop, ' ' 12 km. up Kait R., 240 m. (J. L. Gressitt). SOLOMON ISLANDS : Kungana Bay, Rennell (M. Willows, Jr.) ; Bellona I. (Willows). SANTA CRUZ: Vanikoro (Willows). NEW HEBRIDES: Vila, Efate (N. L. II. Krauss) ; Aore I. (W. L. Nutting) ; Ratard Plantation, near Luganville, Espiritu Santo (Wilson). FIJI ISLANDS: numerous series from throughout the islands, from Viti Levu to the Lau Archipelago, collected chiefly by W. M. Mann. This species is also widespread through Micronesia and Polynesia.

Taxonomic note. W. L. Brown (pers. commun.), who is currently studying the New World species of Odontomachus , informs me that the true O. haematodus is probably a species indigenous to the Amazon-Orinoco Basins and not conspecific with the Pacific simillimus . According to Linné’s original description , haematodus possesses the following color characters: "Abdomen nigricans . . . Pedes flavi . . . Corpus nigrum ." The Melanesian species identified here as simillimus (the next oldest name applicable to Indo-Australian populations) has medium brown legs and dark brown head and alitrunk.

Ecological notes. In eastern New Guinea simtllimus is common everywhere in clearings and second-growth forest. Colonies apparently nest in the soil, and workers can be found foraging in leaf litter during both day and night. At the Laloki River in Papua a colony was found nesting in accumulated soil and vegetable debris in the primary fork of a tree a little less than two meters from the ground. Near Luganville, in the New Hebrides, a large colony, containing alate queens and males, was found in early January beneath a rotting log on the floor of lowland rain forest.