SUBFAMILY PROCERATIINAE
Genus Proceratium
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The Ants of Africa SUBFAMILY PROCERATIINAE Genus Proceratium |
| Contents - Proceratiinae - PROCERATIINAE Introduction |
In Tribe PROCERATIINI.
Diagnostic Features - Tergite of second gastral tergite strongly
vaulted so that the remaining segments point anteriorly. Alitrunk devoid
of sutures. Mandibles with three or more teeth, not overhung by the
clypeus. Apical segment of the antenna moderately enlarged but not
bulbous. Roger's (1863a) genus definition is at
.
Proceratium, junior synonym Sysphincta (Brown, in Borgmeier, 1957: 118).
Bolton (1973a) mentions a single, unnamed, West African species, known only from rotten wood in Ghana. Members elsewhere normally prey on the eggs of arthropods (Hölldobler and Wilson (1990, pages 224, 565).
It appears that new species have been described, e.g Proceratium
burundensis De Andrade (2003: 122, illustrated). The publication,
however, is not publicly available on the Hymenoptera Name Server
.
- Baroni Urbani, C. and M. L. De Andrade. 2003. The ant genus Proceratium
in the extant and fossil record (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Museo
Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Monografie, 36, 1-480.
Key to Afrotropical species, developed from Terron (1981) -
.
| 1 |  Clypeus
projecting forwards of the frontal carinae, with the anterior border
notched; TL 2.7 mm; overall coarsely and regularly punctate; covered
with dense golden pubescence, particularly visible on second gastral
segment; black, appendages and clypeus brown |
Ghana - boltoni |
| -- | Clypeus in dorsal view not or only slightly projecting forwards of the frontal carinae, border entire | 2 |
| 2 |  Eyes
well developed with about 25 ommatidia; TL ca 3 mm; sculpturation of
head granulose, similar but finer on the alitrunk and gaster, latter
weakly shiny; overall covered with minute whitish pubescence;
ferruginous, region of ocelli browner, propodeal margins black; |
Kenya - toschii |
| -- | Eyes with no more than one ommatidia or absent | 3 |
| 3 |  Eyes
absent; second segment of gaster shorter than the first; TL 2.3 mm;
overall sculpturation dense fine puncturation; pubescence reduced and
whitish; yellow red |
as coecum in Terron key - Cameroun - terroni |
| -- | Eyes reduced but visible | 4 |
| 4 | With no more than superficial foveae; apex of frontal carinae rounded; second segment of gaster about 1.2 X longer than first; TL 3 mm; reddish-yellow, margins of frontal carinae and propodeal teeth piceous; covered all over with dense yellowish-white pubescence, longest on the gaster | Zimbabwe - arnoldi |
| -- | Foveae all deep; second segment of gaster about the same length as the first | 5 |
| 5 |  Apex
of frontal carinae angular; dark yellow-brown, appendages and apex of
gaster yellower; integumental foveae large & deep, gaster with deep
sculpture |
Cameroun - lunatum |
| -- | Integumental foveae small, gaster with superficial sculpture | Burundi - burundense |
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PONERINAE Introduction | © 2007, 2008 - Brian Taylor CBiol
FIBiol FRES 11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K. |
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