A remarkable new species of Proceratium, with dietary and other notes on the genus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
Author
Brown, W. L.
text
Psyche
1980
86
337
346
http://antbase.org/ants/publications/6759/6759.pdf
journal article
6759
Proceratium micrommatum (Roger)
(=
P. convexiceps
Borgmeier)
new synonym
Earlier (Brown 1974:82) I called attention to the doubtful status of
P. convexiceps
Borgmeier (1957:120-122, fig. 34). Not only do samples of this complex (including new collections from Honduras: Lancetilla, near Tela; and 14 km S. La Ceiba; both in rotten logs, W. L. Brown, Jr.) vary in the development of the median clypeal process, which may be absent, weakly projecting, or strong, but it seems clear that the "Arbeiter" of
micrommatum
against which Borgmeier (1957:118-120) compared
convexiceps
was actually an ergatoid queen of
micrommatum
, so that differences in head shape, eye size and petiolar thickness are apparently only allometric caste differences.
A worker specimen of
P. micrommatum
from Honduras was dissected and proved to have maxillary palpi of 3 segments, the second segment having the "hammer-head" form characteristic of
Proceratium
, i.e., it is stalked from the side, and the apical segment has 3 long apical sensilla. Labial palpi with each 2 segments: basal segment narrower, apical segment claviform, with 3 long apical sensilla.