Key to Afrotropical Proceratium species groups

This worker key is based on: Hita Garcia, F.; Hawkes, P. G.; Alpert, G. D. 2014. Taxonomy of the ant genus Proceratium Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Afrotropical region with a revision of the P. arnoldi clade and description of four new species. ZooKeys 447:47–86.

They note: The following key is derived from Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003)... we exclude the Malagasy species (Madagascar plus the surrounding islands of the Southwest Indian Ocean) from this key. We consider the Malagasy region as a distinct biogeographical region of its own following Bolton (1994).

1

Clypeus well developed, clearly protruding anteriorly, surrounding the antennal sockets and medially impressed; vertex in full face view weakly concave; calcar of strigil with a basal spine (Fig. 1A, B) . . . . . stictum clade

Clypeus reduced, only slightly protruding anteriorly, not surrounding the antennal sockets and not medially impressed; vertex in full face view not concave, usually weakly to moderately convex; calcar of strigil without basal spine (Fig. 1C, D) . . . . . 2

Hita Garcia et al. 2014. Figure 1.

2

return to couplet #1

Frontal carinae relatively close to each other, either converging and posteriorly fused (Fig. 2A) or approaching each other medially, almost fusing, but narrowly diverging posteriorly; lower mesopleura flat . . . . . toschii clade

Frontal carinae relatively far from each other, never approaching medially and widely diverging posteriorly; lower mesopleura posteriorly inflated (Fig. 2B) . . . . . arnoldi clade

Hita Garcia et al. 2014. Figure 2.