Ponerinae are most easily identified from other subfamilies by possessing a single-segmented petiole and thegaster usually being constricted between the first and second segments.[3]Odontomachus lack this constriction, but these can be identified from their elongate, straight mandibles attached close together along the front margin of the head and with teeth only at the mandible tips.[3] They are rare examples of stinging ants.[4] Females have 12-segmented antennae, whereas males have 13-segmented antennae.[3]
These ants typically nest in soil, forest litter, or rotting logs, and are predacious.[5] They primarily prey onisopods. They mostly live in small colonies of up to 200 workers. They can be found mostly in tropical environments, but have been found in southeastern Canada and New York.[citation needed]
^Schmidt, Chris (9 May 2013). "Molecular phylogenetics of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae)".Zootaxa.3647 (2):201–250.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.1.PMID26295106.
^Schmidt, C.A.; Shattuck, S.O. (2014). "The higher classification of the ant subfamily Ponerinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with a review of ponerine ecology and behavior".Zootaxa.3817:1–242.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3817.1.1.PMID24943802.
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