Report of a rare ant species Probolomyrmex procne (Formicidae: Proceratiinae) from the Indian Institute of Science campus, with description of its dealate queen

A very rare ant, Probolomyrmex procne, belonging to the basal subfamily Proceratiinae, is discovered for the first time from the Indian Institute of Science campus, Bangalore, Karnataka. The worker caste of this species was first discovered and described from Palni hills in the year 1972, based on a single specimen, and was reported again from Mysore in 1990. This study describes the previously unknown queen and its 34-year rediscovery in the state of Karnataka.

Due to their small size, cryptic appearance, and limited colony size, these tiny ants—which were discovered utilizing Winkler extraction method are rarely found. With this discovery, the number of specimens collected from India has increased from four to six. The vast array of sensilla on antennal segments, which play huge roles in various levels of communications, were studied in detail using scanning electron microscopy images.