Proceratiinae

Members of the Proceratiinae are seldem encountered because of their small size and cryptic habits. Workers forage below the ground surface or in leaf litter and nests are small, containing fewer than 100 workers. Most species are thought to be specialist predators of arthropod eggs, although direct observations are few. They are most often encountered in leaf litter samples.

Identification
Members of this subfamily have the frontal lobes reduced to a narrow, sharp ridge between the antennal sockets and the antennal insertions are clearly visible when viewed from the front. In addition, most species (members of Discothyrea and Proceratium) have the upper plate of the second segment of the gaster (second gastral tergite) strongly arched so that it forms the rear-most part of the gaster when viewed from the side, the remaining segments being pushed forward underneath the first segment of the gaster. The remaining species (in Probolomyrmex) have a single petiolar node and an elongate gaster with a constriction between the first and second segments. However, the reduced frontal lobes and exposed antennal insertions will separate these species from those belonging to the otherwise similar Ponerinae.

Regional Key
Australian Proceritinae Genera

Distribution and Habitats
Australian distribution



Regional Genus Lists

 * Australia

Synopsis
Subfamily PROCERATIINAE Proceratii Emery, 1895j: 765. Type-genus: Proceratium. Taxonomic history Proceratiinae as poneromorph subfamily of Formicidae: Bolton, 2003: 48, 178. Proceratiinae as poneroid subfamily of Formicidae: Ouellette, Fisher, et al. 2006: 365; Brady, Schultz, et al. 2006: 18173; Moreau, Bell et al. 2006: 102; Ward, 2007a: 555. Tribes of Proceratiinae: Probolomyrmecini, Proceratiini.

Subfamily references Bolton, 2003: 48, 178 (diagnosis, synopsis); Ouellette, Fisher et al. 2006: 359 (phylogeny); Brady, Schultz, et al. 2006: 18173 (phylogeny); Moreau, Bell et al. 2006: 102 (phylogeny); Ward, 2007a: 555 (classification); Fernández & Arias-Penna, 2008: 31 (Neotropical genera key); Yoshimura & Fisher, 2009: 8 (Malagasy males diagnosis, key); Terayama, 2009: 96 (Taiwan genera key); Keller, 2011: 1 (morphology, phylogeny).