last updated 2.Sep.2008 |
Trap-Jaw Ants
Several different groups of ants have independently evolved a novel
mandibular trap mechanism for catching prey. Trap-jaw ants lock their
mandibles open and store energy in the muscles of the head. When
specialized hairs in the trap are triggered, the energy is released and
the mandibles close in a powerful and often audible snap.
The trap-jaw ants that appear on myrmecos.net are belong to the subfamilies
Ponerinae (Anochetus and Odontomachus)
and Myrmicinae (Acanthognathus,
Epopostruma,
Orectognathus,
and Strumigenys.)
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Ponerine trap-jaw ants
Myrmicine trap-jaw ants
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