A trap-jaw ant...

ATTENTION EVERYBODY PLEASE?A teenager of 16 years demonstrates his love for the United States. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_D98kervNA

To find something about the habits of this critter, I searched and found a Factsheet with this discussion:

Darwin Bull Ant (Odontomachus turneri) 7.0-10.0 mm, black all over (native species).

The Darwin bull ant is one of the largest species in the Darwin area. They are predators of small
invertebrates and capture prey with their large mandibles (tooth-like jaws). Stings from these ants can be
very painful and may cause local swelling. These ants may be seen foraging on the ground or on low
vegetation. Nests are usually in soil, mulch or rotten wood on the ground.

Given that the photo of Odontomachus turneri in the Factsheet shows the same coloration as your photo, I wondered how the author came to describe the species as "black all over."

I've never heard "darwin bull ant" for this species, as Bull Ants are normally a separate group, Myrmecia, in another subfamily.

Alan Andersen's list of common names considers O. turneri to be a "Giant Snappy Ant".

Personally, I'd be happy calling this the Northern Trap-jaw Ant.

I want to see some more picture of this year's mandibular styles!

Re Odontomachus and Myrmecia, why does it seem like Nearctic ants are so mundane?

We have several Odontomachus, Amblyopone, Strumigenys, Polyergus spp. with some not-at-all-mundane mandibles. Just gotta look close.

My mandibles are sooo 2009. *Sigh*

These things come in cycles, Peter. I'm sure yours will be tastefully retro by, oh, 2029 or so.