Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5845 No. 3: 7 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-07
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.3.4
Page range: 493-522
Abstract views: 60
PDF downloaded: 3

A revision of Chinese Probolomyrmex Mayr, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae), with descriptions of two new species and a global key to species

Shenzhen School of The Affiliated High School of Peking University; Shenzhen; Guangdong; China
GCTB-NSU Joint Institute of Technology; Guangzhou College of Technology and Business; Foshan; Guangdong; China
Department of History; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou; Guangdong; China
School of life science; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou; Guangdong; China
College of Plant Protection; China Agricultural University; Beijing; China
Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University; Fuzhou; Fujian; China
Hymenoptera Proceratiinae ants taxonomy China morphological similarity

Abstract

Based on morphological evidence, the ant genus Probolomyrmex Mayr, 1901 in China is revised, indicating the presence of at least five confirmed species, with an additional taxon (P. longinodus Terayama & Ogata, 1988) requiring further clarification. In addition to the previously recorded P. dammermani Wheeler, 1928, P. longiscapus Xu & Zeng, 2000, and P. vieti Eguchi, 2006, two new species are described herein: P. bispinatus sp. nov. from Tibet and P. similis sp. nov. from Guangxi. The new species P. bispinatus sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to P. procne, but can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: (1) propodeal posterodorsal denticles sharper and spine-like; (2) posterodorsal corner of petiole in lateral view sharper and points posterodorsally (in P. procne points posteroventrally); and (3) in dorsal view, lateral margins of petiole slightly convex (not straight). The new species P. similis sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to P. longiscapus, but can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: (1) larger body size; (2) posterior head margin nearly straight; (3) propodeal declivity with bordered, straight or slightly curved dark lines laterally; and (4) petiole bearing a pair of broad and distinct teeth. A global identification key to Probolomyrmex species based on queen and worker morphology is provided.

References

  1. Agosti, D. (1995) A revision of the South American species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 102, 429–434. https://doi.org/10.15468/ghvxjn
  2. AntWeb (2025) AntWeb. Available from: http://www.antweb.org (accessed 22 June 2025)
  3. AntWiki (2026) AntWiki. Available from: http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Probolomyrmex (accessed 15 February 2026)
  4. Asfiya, W., Lach, L., Majer, J.D., Heterick, B. & Didham, R.K. (2015) Intensive agroforestry practices negatively affect ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) diversity and composition in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Asian Myrmecology, 7, 87–104. https://doi.org/10.20362/am.007009
  5. Baroni Urbani, C. & de Andrade, M.L. (2003) The ant genus Proceratium in the extant and fossil record (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali Monografie (Turin), 36, 1–492. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.20040800210
  6. Bolton, B. (1994) Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 222 pp.
  7. Bolton, B. (2003) Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 71, 1–370.
  8. Bolton, B. (2026) An online Catalog of the Ants of the World by Barry Bolton. Available from: http://www.antcat.org (accessed 15 February 2026)
  9. Borowiec, M.L., Rabeling, C., Brady, S.G., Fisher, B.L., Schultz, T.R. & Ward, P.S. (2019) Compositional heterogeneity and outgroup choice influence the internal phylogeny of the ants. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 134, 111–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.01.024
  10. Brady, S.G., Schultz, T.R., Fisher, B.L. & Ward, P.S. (2006) Evaluating alternative hypotheses for the early evolution and diversification of ants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103, 18172–18177. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0605858103
  11. Chen, D. & Xu, Y. (2025) A newly record ant genus Probolomyrmex Mayr, 1901 in Guangdong Province, China (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The Indochina Entomologist, 1 (59), 551–555. https://doi.org/10.70590/ice.2025.01.59
  12. de Andrade, M.L. & Baroni Urbani, C. (2003) The Baltic amber ant genus Bradoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with description of two new species and a reassessment of the Proceratiini genera. Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 110, 913–938. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.80219
  13. Eguchi, K., Yoshimura, M. & Yamane, S. (2006) The Oriental species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae). Zootaxa, 1376 (1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1376.1.1
  14. Eguchi, K., Viet, B.T. & Yamane, S. (2014) Generic synopsis of the Formicidae of Vietnam (Insecta: Hymenoptera), Part II—Cerapachyinae, Aenictinae, Dorylinae, Leptanillinae, Amblyoponinae, Ponerinae, Ectatomminae and Proceratiinae. Zootaxa, 3860 (1), 1–46. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3860.1.1
  15. Emery, C. (1895) Die Gattung Dorylus Fab. und die systematische Eintheilung der Formiciden. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere, 8, 685–778. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.25462
  16. Fisher, B.L. (2007) A new species of Probolomyrmex from Madagascar. In: Snelling, R.R., Fisher, B.L. & Ward, P.S. (Eds.), Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): homage to E.O. Wilson – 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 80, pp. 146–152. https://doi.org/10.15468/dwwn3l
  17. Hamer, M.T., Lee, R.H., Liu-Wei, W., Davies, K., Chan, M., Fellowes, J.R. & Guénard, B. (2025) A checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Hainan Province, China. Asian Myrmecology, 18, 018006. https://doi.org/10.20362/am.018006
  18. Harris, R.A. (1979) A glossary of surface sculpturing. Occasional Papers in Entomology, State of California Department of Food and Agriculture, 28, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.26215
  19. Hosoishi, S., Hashimoto, Y., Park, S., Yamane, S. & Ogata, K. (2017) A comparison of ground-dwelling and arboreal ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in lowland forests of Cambodia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 65, 416–425. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5357318
  20. Ito, F. (1998) Colony composition and specialized predation on millipedes in the enigmatic ponerine ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux, 45, 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s000400050070
  21. Jaitrong, W. & Nabhitabhata, J. (2005) A list of known ant species of Thailand (Formicidae: Hymenoptera). The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal, 1 (1), 9–54.
  22. Jaitrong, W., Guénard, B., Economo, E.P., Buddhakala, N. & Yamane, S. (2016) A checklist of known ant species of Laos. Asian Myrmecology, 8, 17–48. https://doi.org/10.20362/am.008019
  23. Keller, R.A. (2011) A Phylogenetic Analysis of Ant Morphology (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with Special Reference to the Poneromorph Subfamilies. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 355, 1–90. https://doi.org/10.1206/355.1
  24. Kikuchi, T. & Tsuji, K. (2005) Unique social structure of Probolomyrmex longinodus. Entomological Science, 8, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8298.2005.00094.x
  25. Li, W., Chen, Z. & Zhou, S. (2020) Faunal analysis of the poneromorph subfamilies (formicidae) of China. Journal of Henan Agricultural University, 54 (3), 471–479, 498. https://doi.org/10.16445/j.cnki.1000-2340.20200520.001
  26. Liang, C. & Chen, Z. (2022) Taxonomic review of Chinese ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zoological Systematics, 47 (2), 146–154. https://doi.org/10.11865/zs.2022205
  27. Mayr, G. (1901) Südafrikanische Formiciden, gesammelt von Dr. Hans Brauns. Annalen des Kaiserlich-Königlichen Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, 16, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.25873
  28. Moreau, C.S., Bell, C.D., Vila, R., Archibald, S.B. & Pierce, N.E. (2006) Phylogeny of the ants: diversification in the age of angiosperms. Science (Washington, D. C.), 312, 101–104. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1124891
  29. O’Keefe, S.T. & Agosti, D. (1998) A new species of Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 105, 190–192. https://doi.org/10.15468/xas16k
  30. Oliveira, A.M. & Feitosa, R.M. (2019) Taxonomic revision of the genus Probolomyrmex Mayr, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae) for the Neotropical Region. Zootaxa, 4614 (1), 61–94. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4614.1.3
  31. Ouellette, G.D., Fisher, B.L. & Girman, D.J. (2006) Molecular systematics of basal subfamilies of ants using 28S rRNA (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 40, 359–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2006.03.017
  32. Perrault, G.H. (2000) Les Probolomyrmicinae, nouvelle sous-famille pour le genre Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France, 105, 253–272. https://doi.org/10.3406/bsef.2000.16669
  33. Rabeling, C., Brown, J.M. & Verhaagh, M. (2008) Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105 (30), 14913–14917. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0806187105
  34. Schmidt, C.A. (2013) Molecular phylogenetics of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae). Zootaxa, 3647 (2), 201–250. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.1
  35. Shattuck, S.O., Gunawardene, N.R. & Heterick, B. (2012) A revision of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae) in Australia and Melanesia. Zootaxa, 3444 (1), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3444.1.2
  36. Tanaka, M. (1974) Description of a new species of the ant of the genus Probolomyrmex Mayr from Malaysia (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Entomological Review of Japan, 26, 35–37. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24801
  37. Taylor, R.W. (1965) A monographic revision of the rare tropicopolitan ant genus Probolomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 117, 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1965.tb00044.x
  38. Terayama, M. & Ogata, K. (1988) Two new species of the ant genus Probolomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Japan. Kontyû, 56, 590–594. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24863
  39. Terayama, M. (1990) A list of Ponerinae of Taiwan (Hymenoptera; Formicidae). Bulletin of the Toho Gakuen, 4, 25–50.
  40. Varghese, T. (2024) Report of a rare ant species Probolomyrmex procne (Formicidae: Proceratiinae) from the Indian Institute of Science campus, with description of its dealate queen. Halteres, 14, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12539264
  41. Wang, W.Y., Soh, E.J.Y., Yong, G.W.J., Wong, M.K.L., Guénard, B., Economo, E.P. & Yamane, S. (2022) Remarkable diversity in a little red dot: a comprehensive checklist of known ant species in Singapore (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with notes on ecology and taxonomy. Asian Myrmecology, 15, 015006. https://doi.org/10.20362/am.015006
  42. Wheeler, W.M. (1928) A new species of Probolomyrmex from Java. Psyche (Cambridge), 35, 7–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/1928/45073
  43. Wu, J. & Wang, C. (1995) The ants of China. China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing, x + 214 pp.
  44. Xu, Z. & Zeng, G. (2000) Discovery of the worker caste of Platythyrea clypeata Forel and a new species of Probolomyrmex Mayr in Yunnan, China (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomologia Sinica, 7, 213–217. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7917.2000.tb00410.x
  45. Yoshimura, M. & Fisher, B.L. (2009) A revision of male ants of the Malagasy region (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): key to genera of the subfamily Proceratiinae. Zootaxa, 2216 (1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2216.1.1
  46. Zhou, S. & Ran, H. (2010) Checklist of Poneromorph Subfamilies (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) in China. Journal of Guangxi Normal University (Natural Science Edition), 28 (4), 101–113. https://doi.org/10.16088/j.issn.1001-6600.2010.04.006

How to Cite

Wu, T., Zhong, Y., Wang, S., Yin, J., Huang, Y. & Huang, Y. (2026) A revision of Chinese Probolomyrmex Mayr, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Proceratiinae), with descriptions of two new species and a global key to species. Zootaxa, 5845 (3), 493–522. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.3.4