''Proceratium vinaka'' is a species of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...

from Fiji, and the third species of its genus to be identified there.

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Fijian word meaning "thank you" or "hello".

Description

Workers of the species measure 2.41 mm long, making it one of the smaller species of its clade. The species has small eyes. The legs are long. The body is a yellowish or light orange brown, densely covered in short hairs, but with longer, erect hairs interspersed.

Range and habitat

The species is only known from

Mount Tomanivi Mount Tomanivi, previously named Mount Victoria and also known as Tomaniivi, is an extinct volcano located in the northern highlands of Viti Levu. At , Mount Tomanivi is the highest mountain in Fiji. A trail leads to the summit of Tomanivi from ...

on the Fijian island of

Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ) is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population. Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australia ...

, but is believed to also inhabit the islands of

Taveuni Taveuni (pronounced ) is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, with a total land area of . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated to the east o ...

and

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonicall ...

. Individuals were collected from leaf litter and decaying wood from undisturbed rainforest half way up the mountain.

Phylogeny

''P. vinaka'' is part of the '' P. silaceum'' clade.

References

External links

* Proceratiinae Insects of Fiji Hymenoptera of Oceania Insects described in 2015 {{ant-stub