Myrmoteras

is a tropical Asian genus and the only ant in the subfamily Formicinae to have evolved a specialized trap-jaw for capturing prey. The sharp-toothed mandibles are held open at 270º and snap shut on a hair trigger.

Myrmoteras sp.
Maliau Basin, Borneo.
Myrmoteras sp.
Portrait of a formicine trap-jaw ant with her mandibles fully open. Laboratory colony at the University of Illinois, collected originally from Maliau Basin, Borneo.
Myrmoteras iriodum Danum Valley Field Centre, Sabah Borneo

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