An unusual Odontomachus behavior
by
Gordon C. Snelling

      Recently I was able to spend a couple of days at French Joe Canyon in the Whetstone Mountains of Arizona. While walking around in the area adjacent to the mouth of the of the canyon we noticed numerous clumps of Agave shottii with piles of soil around the bases of the plants. I had seen this in the past but was never able to determine what was responsible. I figured it was probably a Camponotus species, but due to the logistics of trying to get around the the Agave leaves I had never bothered.      This time however I was lucky, while examining the Agave I noticed some movement around the base of several of the plants in the clump. Upon further inspection it turns out the diggers were Odontomachus clarus. I have found colonies of this species under rocks on many occasions around southern Arizona and have never observed any sort of excavation or nest building activity. Further examination of the area located several more of these Agave/Odontomachus associations. SO is this a true association or just a really large coincedence? It is certainly something that would bear further looking into.      James Trager has told me that he has observed Odontomachus brunneus on several occasions making similar excavations in Aristida (wiregrass) clumps in the Florida sandhills.

Odontomachus colony at the base of Agave schottii