South and Southeast Asia
Fine-art photographic collection
Odontoponera transversa
A predator that reads the chemical road signs of termites and follows them straight to its prey.
About this species
Odontoponera transversa(Smith, 1857)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Odontoponera transversa is a ponerine ant that hunts in tropical Asian forests and disturbed habitats. Research has shown that workers can eavesdrop on termite trail pheromones and use the termites’ own communication system to locate food.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Odontoponera
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
South and Southeast AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Tropical forest floor, plantations, gardens and disturbed ground.
Workers forage singly on the ground and around decaying wood.
Predatory and scavenging, with termites among important prey.
Social; colonies nest in soil or sheltered cavities.
What makes this species remarkable?
Workers detect termite trail pheromones — chemicals evolved to guide termite nestmates — and turn those signals into a map leading to prey.
The ants distinguish trails made by different termite species and respond most strongly to chemical signatures associated with profitable victims.
This is true chemical espionage: a social communication channel becomes a private hunting guide for an unrelated predator.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
3