Proceratium

Colonies of these ants are small, often with less than 100 workers, and are usually found in rotting logs or stumps or in moist soil. The cryptic workers are slow-moving; prey seems to consist exclusively of eggs of other arthropods found while foraging in leaf litter. These ants are seldom encountered.



Worker of P. australe from Queensland.

Identification
The upper plate (tergite) of the second segment of the gaster is strongly arched so that it forms the rear-most part of the gaster when viewed from the side, and the remaining segments are pushed forward so that the sting is pointing towards the front. The mandibles have 3 or more teeth. The clypeus does not extend forward and the rear sections of the mandibles are visible when they are closed. The antennae are 12 segmented (including the scape) and the last (apical) segment is moderately enlarged but distinctly shorter than the remaining segments combined (excluding the scape).

Proceratium can be separated from all other ants in Australia, with the exception of Discothyrea, by the highly curved shape of the gaster. They can be distinguished from the superficially similar Discothyrea by differences in the number of antennal segments, the number of teeth on the mandibles and the shorter, less projecting leading edge of the clypeus.

Distribution and Habitats
Australian distribution

Regional Species Lists

 * Australia

Keys to Species

 * Australia