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.

Males: Boudinot (2015) - 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.

Genus richness
Genus richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more genus-rich).



Species richness
Species richness by country based on regional taxon lists (countries with darker colours are more species-rich).



Nomenclature
PROCERATIINAE [subfamily of Formicidae]
 * Proceratii Emery, 1895j: 765 [as tribe of Dorylinae]. Type-genus: Proceratium.
 * Proceratiinae: Bolton, 2003: 48 [as subfamily of Formicidae].