Proceratiinae Emery, 1895

Boudinot, Brendon E., 2015, Contributions to the knowledge of Formicidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata): a new diagnosis of the family, the first global male-based key to subfamilies, and a treatment of early branching lineages, European Journal of Taxonomy 120, pp. 1-62 : 48

Subfamily Proceratiinae Emery, 1895

Figs 6A , 14 A–B

Diagnosis

All proceratiine genera share the following characters which are required for identification: oblique mesopleural sulcus present; mesotibia with one or no apicoventral spurs, metatibia with one apicoventral spur; propodeal lobe present; three to five closed cells present on forewing; jugal lobe absent; petiolar tergum and sternum distinct; abdominal sternum IX unpronged and edentate. Two conditional sets of characters are required in conjunction with those indicated above: 1) if mandibles triangular then antennal toruli situated well-posterad anterior clypeal margin and crossvein 1m-cu absent; and 2) if mandibles reduced then antennal toruli situated at or produced anterad anterior clypeal margin; 1m-cu may be present or absent. Additionally, proceratiine males may or may not have vaulted fourth abdominal terga, and the eighth abdominal tergum is never spiniform.

Comments

Yoshimura & Fisher’s (2009) key to the Malagasy Proceratiinae has global applicability. The three genera of Proceratiinae , Discothyrea , Probolomyrmex , and Proceratium , seem to be well-defined taxa.

Figures

Fig. 6. Male morphology. A–B, E–G. Head capsule in frontal view. C–D. Mesosoma, lateral view. H–I. Petiole, ventrolateral view. — A. Probolomyrmex indet. (Madagascar, CASENT0080551, A. Nobile). B. Anochetus boltoni (Madagascar, CASENT0063847, A. Nobile). C. Leptanilloides gracilis (Guatemala, CASENT0234561, M. Borowiec). D. Odontomachus simillimus (Seychelles, CASENT0172666, A. Nobile). E. Platythyrea arthuri (Mayotte, CASENT0132466, E. Prado). F. Protanilla indet. (Thailand, CASENT0119776, A. Nobile). G. Stigmatomma indet. (Madagascar, CASENT0007087, E. Prado). H. Nothomyrmecia macrops (Australia, B. Boudinot). I. Neoponera cf. apicalis (Honduras, B. Boudinot). Scale bars: A, F–G= 0.1 mm, B = 0.2 mm, C = 0.25 mm, E, H–I = 0.5 mm, D = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 14. Male representatives of three subfamilies. A, C, E. Frontal view. B, D, F. Lateral view. — A–B. Proceratium creek, Proceratiinae (U.S.A., CASENT010441, A. Nobile). C–D. Acanthostichus, Dorylinae (French Guiana, CASENT0056970, A. Nobile). E–F. Myrmecia chasei, Myrmeciinae (Australia, CASENT0903663, W. Ericson). Scale bars: A, C = 0.2 mm, B, E = 0.5 mm, D = 1.0 mm, E = 2.0 mm.