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neab: Odontomachus from Okinawa (27. Mär 2009 12:17)

Hello all!

I have received this from Japan.
His Japanese name is "Okinawa-agito-ari".

Photographs from this post: http://fourmis-exotiques.fr/viewtopic.php?id=175 (in french)
For traduction: http://translate.google.fr/translate?prev=_t&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffourmis-exotiques.fr%2Fviewtopic.php%3Fid%3D175&sl=fr&tl=en&history_state0=fr%7Cen%7CLes%2520photographies%2520sont%2520issues%2520de%2520ce%2520post&swap=1
http://neab.free.fr/nids/Odontomachus/Odontomachus001.jpg
http://neab.free.fr/nids/Odontomachus/Odontomachus002.jpg

It measures approximately 10 mm for the workers, 12 mm for the Gyne.
Its mandibles are able to open up to 180 °, and is impressive, with an organic mechanism they can close a blow if it titillates the small hairs which lies all along.
To give you an idea, the speed of closure of the jaw than 130Km / h is the absolute record in the animal kingdom.
Once closed, the same mechanism completely blocks the jaw to make it impossible to open even forcing.
They also use their jaws to eject a blow and sent waltzing away intruders like a catapult.
Not for nothing it deserves its nickname of "Trap-jaw".
As one might expect, so it is primarily a hunter equipped for war.
Another feature, not least, they are not very fortiche to mount the windows ^^.

And this is the formicarium I have build for it:

http://neab.free.fr/nids/Odontomachus/Odontomachus005.jpg

donbilbo: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (27. Mär 2009 13:09)

thats a very nice formicarium you set up there. please keep us posted when the ants are living in there. :)

JimmyVe: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (30. Mär 2009 20:26)

Great ants and a wonderful farm you got there. Very nice. May i ask, how do you keep the ytong (i suppose it is a ytong) moist ?

neab: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (31. Mär 2009 12:40)

Hello Jimmy!

Thank you for your comments ;)

For the ytong moisturisation, I use a hose connected to a shaft dug into the nest.
I put the water in the syringe so that it slowly creeps in Ytong.

On the right in this picture:
http://neab.free.fr/nids/Odontomachus/Odontomachus008.jpg

JimmyVe: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (1. Apr 2009 19:30)

Nice. ;) Easy to make and good in use.

Kale^^: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (5. Jan 2010 21:51)

That's a really nice farm. And the species seem nice too :)

jeffrey432: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (16. Jan 2010 16:06)

Wow, i love your formicarium!
And nice ants!

Virot: Re: Odontomachus from Okinawa (16. Jan 2010 16:50)

Thats flipping cool!!!!!