Protanilla

Protanilla usually occur in well-developed forests but can sometimes be found along forest edges. They nest in rotten wood fragments and in soil (Vietnam, Eguchi et al 2014). In Borneo colonies, complete with dealate queens, were found in very rotten wood (one log, one partially buried stump) which were in an advanced stage of decay, the bulk of the colony being in the soil-wood layer immediately above the underlying clay soil.

Distribution
Man et al (2017) - Protanilla beijingensis represents the northernmost record of the genus Protanilla and is the first collection of the genus recorded in the Palaearctic of China.

Biology
It is unclear if these ants are rare or woefully undersampled. The genus is one of those ant taxa that lives a subterranean existence and myrmecologists have yet to implement adaquate techniques to sample the world's underground ant fauna. The most recently discovery species, Protanilla beijingensis, was taken from a subterranean pitfall trap using a sampler that could prove useful for future surveys.

Nomenclature

 *  PROTANILLA [Leptanillinae: Anomalomyrmini]
 * Protanilla Taylor, in Bolton, 1990b: 279. Type-species: Protanilla rafflesi Taylor, in Bolton, 1990b: 279, by original designation.
 * Protanilla in Leptanillinae: Anomalomyrmini: Bolton, 1990b: 279; Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990: 12; Kugler, C. 1992: 107; Bolton, 1994: 70; Bolton, 2003: 152.
 * Protanilla as genus: all authors.
 * Protanilla as senior synonym of Furcotanilla: Hsu, et al. 2017: 119, 128.
 * Protanilla catalogues: Bolton, 1995b: 369.
 * FURCOTANILLA [junior synonym of Protanilla]
 * Furcotanilla Xu, 2012c: 481. Type-species: Protanilla furcomandibula Xu & Zhang, 2002: 140, by original designation.
 * Furcotanilla in Leptanillinae, Anomalomyrmini: Xu, 2012c: 482.
 * Furcotanilla junior synonym of Protanilla: Hsu, et al. 2017: 119.