Odontomachus saevissimus 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 : 497-498

Odontomachus saevissimus Fr. Smith (Fig. 4, no. 4)

Odontomachus saevissimus Fr. Smith , 1858, Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus., 6:80, pl. 5, fig. 10, worker. Type locality: Ceram. Fr. Smith, 1860, J. Proc.

Linn. Soc. London, Zool., 5(suppl.) : pl. 1, fig. 9, queen. Mayr, 1867, Tijdschr. Ent., 10:47, worker, distribution. Karawajew, 1925, Konowia , 4:290-292, fig. 12, worker, queen, male. (Holotype examined - BMNH.)

Odontomachus imperator var. tauerni Stitz , 1923, Sitzber. lies. Nat. Freunde Berlin, p. 116, worker. Type locality: Ceram. (Syntype examined-MCZ .) NEW SYNONYMY.

Odontomachus transverso-striatus Donisthorpe, 1941, Trans. Boy. Ent. Sor. London, 91:53, worker. Type locality: Mt. Baduri, 300 m., Japen I., Neth. New Guinea. (Holotype examined - BMNH.) NEW SYNONYMY .

Material examined. MOLUCCAS: Ceram (holotype; syntype of tauemi). NETH. NEW GUINEA: Japen I. ( transversostriatus holotype) ; Doormanpad (W. C. van Heurn). N-E. NEW GUINEA: Korop, 1300 m., Upper Jimmi Valley (J. L. Gressitt ). NEW BRITAIN : St. Paul 's, 350 m., Bainings Mts. (Gressitt). NEW IRELAND: "Camp Bishop," 12 km. up Kait River, 240 m. (E. J. Ford) (tentative determination; see below).

Taxonomic notes. This is one of the most widespread of the Papuan-based Odontomachus . Mayr (1867) records it from Celebes, while as noted elsewhere the form emeryi Mann may be nothing more than a geographic variant from the Solomon Islands. Notable geographic variation is shown in the sculpturing of the mesepisternum. Workers from New Guinea have katepisterna completely striate and the anepisterna smooth except for feeble striation along the dorsal and posterior margins. A single worker examined from the offshore island of Japen has essentially similar sculpturing, except that on the katepisternum striation is confined to the posterior margin. Workers from more peripheral localities both to the east and west ( Ceram, New Britain, New Ireland) have completely striate mesepisterna. Thus geographic variation in this character appears to exhibit a concentric “central-peripheral” pattern. A single headless worker from New Ireland differs from other material in having heavier alitruncal sculpturing and a convex posterior border of petiolar node, in these characters approaching the Solomons form emeryi . Future collecting may show that saevissimus and emeryi are connected by other morphologically intermediate populations and hence must be considered conspecific. If so, then alitruncal sculpturing and coloration clearly show discordant patterns of geographic variation.