Proceratium algiricum

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Proceratium algiricum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Proceratiinae
Tribe: Proceratiini
Genus: Proceratium
Species: P. algiricum
Binomial name
Proceratium algiricum
Forel, 1899

Proceratium algiricum casent0907202 p 1 high.jpg

Proceratium algiricum casent0907202 d 1 high.jpg

Specimen Labels

Synonyms

In Greece, a gyne was collected under a stone in a gorge with a stream and plane forest at an altitude of 322 m (Borowiec and Salata 2022).

Identification

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003) - A member of the pergandei clade. Differing from its in-group species Proceratium watasei, in the worker and gyne, by the much more superficial sculpture - punctuate in algiricum and deeper, granulate in watasei - and lighter colour. Material that we were able to see showed the yellow-brown coloration of algiricum vs. the dark reddish of watasei should represent a clear character for the quick separation of the two. Proceratium algiricum differs from the two outgroup species, Proceratium pergandei and Proceratium chickasaw, in the worker and in the gyne, by the gaster strongly convex on the curvature instead of angulate on the curvature. (Baroni Urbani and de Andrade 2003)

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Croatia, south Italy, Greece, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 43.866218° to 27.95°.

   
North
Temperate 		North
Subtropical 		Tropical South
Subtropical 		South
Temperate

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Albania, Algeria (type locality), Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Morocco, North Macedonia, Tunisia.

Distribution based on AntMaps

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Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.
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Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.
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Biology

Explore-icon.png Explore Overview of Proceratium biology 
Very little is known about the biology of Proceratium ants. They nest in soil, rotten wood, under deep-set stones and, in a few cases, tree branches. For many species the nest consists of small rounded chambers hollowed out of soft rotten wood or in the soil. Toward the cooler limits of the range, particularly in North America, nests and foraging workers are found under deep set rocks instead of in rotten wood. The nest site is usually in forest shade, in old moist gardens, or similar habitats that are constantly moist. Some species of known to be egg predators of arthropods, especially of spiders.

Most Proceratium are relatively rare but this is not the full explanation for why they are not commonly collected. Colonies of most species are small. Based on anectdotal natural history information from a few species, it was once thought that most Proceratium would likely be found to have mature colonies that contain somewhere between 10 - 50 workers. Yet nests with more than 50, and in some cases up to 200, workers have been been reported. Besides small colonies, these ants also do not appear to forage in places where they are readily encountered.

Males and females are though to be produced in small numbers but we generally do not have enough data for colonies of any species to know what might be typical. Reproductive flights have been observered toward the end of the summer in some northern temperate areas. In these regions the nuptial flight occurs during the last half of August. Both sexes climb some distance from the nest entrance before taking flight. Workers too issue from the nest during the nuptial flight, as is often the case with otherwise cryptobiotic ants. ‎

Castes

Worker

Images from AntWeb

Proceratium algiricum casent0907206 p 1 high.jpgProceratium algiricum casent0907206 d 1 high.jpgProceratium algiricum casent0907206 h 1 high.jpgProceratium algiricum casent0907206 l 1 high.jpg
Syntype of Proceratium mayri. Worker. Specimen code casent0907206. Photographer Will Ericson, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences. Owned by MHNG, Geneva, Switzerland.

Queen

  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 5.6-7, queen. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.
  • Borowiec and Salata 2022. Figures 5.4-5, queen. Photographed by Lech Borowiec.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

  • algiricum. Proceratium (Sysphingta) algiricum Forel, 1899b: 305 (w.) ALGERIA.
    • Type-material: holotype worker.
    • Type-locality: Algeria: Laverdure (A. Forel).
    • Type-depository: MHNG.
    • Santschi, 1929e: 139 (q.).
    • Combination in Sysphincta: Emery, 1909c: 362;
    • combination in Proceratium: Brown, 1958g: 247.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1909c: 362; Santschi, 1910d: 71; Emery, 1911d: 51; Karavaiev, 1912a: 2; Santschi, 1929e: 139; Santschi, 1939d: 66; Kratochvíl, in Kratochvíl, et al. 1944: 58 (in key); Brown, 1958g: 247, 331; Cagniant, 1968a: 142; Cagniant, 1970a: 413; Baroni Urbani, 1977d: 92; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 53; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 264 (in key); Bolton, 1995b: 366; Poldi, et al. 1995: 2; Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003b: 219 (redescription); Bračko, 2006: 134; Cagniant, 2006a: 195; Petrov, 2006: 83 (in key); Legakis, 2011: 4; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 531; Borowiec, L. 2014: 149; Lebas, et al. 2016: 408; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 22.
    • Senior synonym of mayri: Baroni Urbani, 1977d: 92; Bolton, 1995b: 366; Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003b: 219; Legakis, 2011: 4; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 22.
    • Distribution: Algeria, Croatia, Greece, Italy (+ Sicily), Malta, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia.
  • mayri. Proceratium (Sysphincta) mayri Forel, 1899b: 306 (w.) GREECE (Corfu).
    • Type-material: 3 syntype workers.
    • Type-locality: Greece: Corfu (J. Sahlberg).
    • Type-depositories: MHNG, MSNG.
    • [Note: this taxon was first recorded by Forel, 1889: 259, as the major worker caste (“soldier”) of P. europaeum (Forel) (misidentification). Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003b: 219, confirmed the identity of the type-material.]
    • Emery, 1909c: 361 (q.).
    • Combination in Sysphincta: Emery, 1909c: 361;
    • combination in Proceratium: Brown, 1958g: 248.
    • Status as species: Emery, 1909c: 361; Emery, 1911d: 51; Forel, 1913d: 427; Emery, 1916b: 102; Menozzi, 1921: 25; Müller, 1923b: 30; Kutter, 1927: 98; Finzi, 1930d: 311; Zimmermann, 1935: 8; Kratochvíl, in Kratochvíl, et al. 1944: 58 (in key); Brown, 1958g: 248; Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 26; Bernard, 1967: 82; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 11.
    • Junior synonym of algiricum: Baroni Urbani, 1977d: 92; Bolton, 1995b: 366; Baroni Urbani & De Andrade, 2003b: 219; Legakis, 2011: 4; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 22.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003) - Head longer than broad, with sides subparallel in the two anterior thirds and strongly convex in the posterior third. Anteromedian part of the clypeus rectangular and strongly protruding anteriorly, dorsally with a variably impressed, inverted Y-shaped carina. Frontal cariniae diverging in the anterior half and subparallel in the posterior half, slightly raised and not very close to each other. Lateral expansions of the frontal carinae narrow. Genal carina absent. Gular area not impressed. Eyes small, in small specimens represented by a weakly pigmented dot below the integument and in larger specimens by a dark dot within the integument. First funicular joint 1/3 longer than broad. Funicular joints 2-10 about as broad as long. Last funicular joint slightly shorter than the sum of the joints 8-10. Scapes much short of the vertexal margin and gently thickening apically. Antennal torulus behind the lateral border of the clypeus. Outer face of the mandibles convex. Masticatory margin of the mandibles with 3-4 denticles before the pointed apical tooth. Palp formula 4,3.

Mesosoma about as long as the head (mandibles included). Promesopleural and meso-metapleural sutures impressed ventrally only. Propodeal dorsum between the basal and declivous faces slightly incised. Basal and declivous faces of the propodeum dorsally separated by a carina, the carina sometimes interrupted medially. Declivous face of the propodeum with a semitransparent lamella on each side, the lamella sometimes denticulate apically, broader on the posterior half. Propodeal spiracle round and over the mid height in lateral view.

Petiole convex in profile, with the sides diverging on the anterior fourth and strongly convex posteriorly in dorsal view. Anterior border of the petiole gently concave and carinate, the carina sometimes forming a denticle on each side. Ventral process of the petiole lamelliform, triangular. Postpetiole anteriorly as broad as or slightly broader than the petiole; its sides convex. Postpetiolar sternite anteromedially with a marked subtriangular projection. Posterior half of the postpetiolar sternite convex. Constriction between postpetiole and first gastral segment impressed. Castral tergite I strongly convex on the curvature. Remaining gastral tergites and sternites curved ventrally.

Legs slender. All tibiae with a pectinate spur. Spurs of fore legs with basal spine. Fore basitarsi as long as the mid ones. Hind basitarsi about 1/6 shorter than hind tibiae. Second tarsomere of hind legs longer than the pretarsus. Pretarsal claws simple. Arolia absent.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma, petiole and postpetiole minutely punctate and sparsely rugulose. Caster superficially shining and covered by minute, piligerous impressions. Legs punctate.

Body covered by hairs of three main types: (1) short, dense, subdecumbent on the whole body, sparse and suberect on the funicular joints only; (2) longer than type (1), sparse and suberect on the whole body, absent on the funiculi; (3) shorter than hair type (1), dense and decumbent on the funicular joints only. In addition the funicular joints bear whitish, thick, appressed, short, sparse hairs, and the scapes with sparse hairs similar to type (2) but shorter.

Colour light brown.

Measurements in mm and Indices: TL 4.31-5.20; HL 0.97-1.14; HW 0.84-1.02; EL 0.03-0.05; SL 0.73-0.91; WL 1.16- 1.46; PeL 0.37-0.45; PeW 0.37-0.43; HFeL 0.83-1.02; HTiL 0.72-0.90; HBaL 0.60-0.78; LS4 0.36-0.44; LT4 1.02-1.28; CI 84.1-89.5; SI 74.2-79.8; IGR 0.32-0.37.

Queen

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003) - Differing from the worker in the following details: eyes about 1/7 of the head length and with well defined ommatidia. Ocular pilosity present. Ocelli present.

Mesosoma robust. Scutellum small and shorter than the sides of the basal face of the propodeum; its sides gently converging into a convex posterior border. Metanotum with a minute denticle. Propodeal lamellae narrower.

Sculpture. Pronotum, basal face of the propodeum and petiole with additional, superficial, sparse, slightly irregular, small, foveae-like depressions. Gaster with denser and larger piligerous impressions.

Measurements in mm and Indices: TL 5.42; HL 1.10; HW 0.95; EL 0.16; SL 0.82; WL 1.48; PeL 0.41; PeW 0.45; HFeL 0.98; HTiL 0.80; HBaL 0.70; LS4 0.45; LT4 1.42; CI 86.4; SI 74.5; IGR 0.32.

Type Material

Baroni Urbani and de Andrade (2003):

Laverdure, Algeria. Type material: holotype worker labeled: "Laverdure, env. 1000 metres sous pierre (Algerie) (Forel), S. algirica Forel, type" in Musee d'Histoire Naturelle Genève, examined.

Proceratium (Sysphingta) mayri Type locality: Corfu, Greece. Type material three syntype workers labelled "Corfu, J. Sahlb. Typus, Sysphincta mayri For.", 2 in MHNG, 1 in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa, examined.

References

References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics

  • Agosti, D. and C.A. Collingwood. 1987. A provisional list of the Balkan ants (Hym. Formicidae) and a key to the worker caste. I. Synonymic list. Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 60: 51-62
  • Baroni Urbani C. 1977. Les espèces européennes du genre Proceratium Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Mitt. Schweiz. Entomol. Ges. 50: 91-93.
  • 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.
  • Baroni Urbani, C., and M. L. de Andrade. "The ant genus Proceratium in the extant and fossil record." Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali-Torino Monografie (2003): 1-492.
  • Baroni Urbani, C. "Studi sulla mirmecofauna d'Italia. II. Formiche di Sicilia." Atti dell'Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali in Catania (6) 16 (1964): 25-66.
  • Borowiec L. 2014. Catalogue of ants of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and adjacent regions (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus (Wroclaw) 25(1-2): 1-340.
  • Borowiec L., and S. Salata. 2012. Ants of Greece - Checklist, comments and new faunistic data (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Genus 23(4): 461-563.
  • Bracko, G. 2006. Review of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) of Croatia. Acta Entomologica Slovenica 14(2): 131-156.
  • Cagniant, H. 1968. Liste preliminaire de fourmis forestieres d'Algerie. Resultats obtenus de 1963 a 1964. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse 104: 138-147
  • Cagniant, H. 2006. Liste actualisée des fourmis du Maroc. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 193-200.
  • Cagniant, H., and X. Espadaler. "Liste des espèces de fourmis du Maroc." Actes des Colloques Insectes Sociaux 8 (1993): 89-93.
  • Cagniant, H. "Liste actualisee des fourmis du Maroc (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8 (2006): 193-200.
  • Cagniant, H. Les peuplements de fourmis des forêts algériennes: écologie, biocénotique, essai biologique. Universite de Toulouse, 1973.
  • Emery C. 1911. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125.
  • Emery C. 1916. Fauna entomologica italiana. I. Hymenoptera.-Formicidae. Bullettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 47: 79-275.
  • Forel, A. "Fourmis de la faune méditerranéenne récoltées par MM. U. et J. Sahlberg." Revue Suisse de Zoologie 21 (1913): 427-438.
  • Forel, A. "Trois notices myrmécologiques." Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 43 (1899): 303-310.
  • Karavaiev V. 1912. Ameisen aus Tunesien und Algerien, nebst einigen unterwegs in Italien gesammelten Arten. Rus. Entomol. Obozr. 12: 1-22.
  • Menozzi C. 1921. Formiche dei dintorni di Sambiase di Calabria. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della Reale Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura. Portici. 15: 24-32.
  • Müller, G. "Le formiche della Venezia Guilia e della Dalmazia." Bollettino della Società Adriatica di Scienze Naturali in Trieste 28 (1923): 11-180.
  • Petrov I. Z., and C. A. Collingwood. 1992. Survey of the myrmecofauna (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) of Yugoslavia. Archives of Biological Sciences (Belgrade) 44: 79-91.
  • Poldi B., M. Mei, and F. Rigato. 1995. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Vol 102. Checklist delle specie della fauna Italiana: 1-10.
  • Salata S., and L. Borowiec. 2018. Taxonomic and faunistic notes on Greek ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom Entomology 27: 1-51.
  • Santschi, F. "Fourmis du Maroc, d'Algérie et de Tunisie." Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique (Bruxelles) 69 (1929): 138-165.
  • Santschi, F. "Nouvelles fourmis de Tunisie (suite). [part b]." Bulletin de la Société d' Histoire naturelle de l' Afrique du Nord 1 (1910): 70-72.
  • Santschi, F. 1910. Nouvelles fourmis de Tunisie (suite). Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord 1: 70-72
  • Taheri A., and J. L. Reyes-Lopez. 2015. Five new records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Morocco. Journal of Insect Science 15(37): DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iev022
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