Probolomyrmex vieti

Quick Summary

• Difficulty: Expert
• Origin & Habitat: Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Thailand, Java (Indonesia), and Hainan Province, China. Found in tropical forests, specifically in Lagerstroemia forests on basalt soils in southern Vietnam and under stones in artificial forest settings like botanical gardens ^[2][4].
• Colony Type: Likely monogyne based on observed colonies with one queen and few workers ^[4]. Colony structure is poorly documented, but observed colonies are very small.
• Size & Growth:
  • Queen: size data unavailable
  • Worker: size data unavailable
  • Colony: Up to 5 workers ^[4]
  • Growth: Very slow
  • Development: Unknown, no direct data exists. (No development data is available for this species.)
• Antkeeping:
  • Temperature: Inferred from habitat: keep warm, around 24-28°C, based on tropical Southeast Asia ^[2][4].
  • Humidity: Inferred: keep nest substrate consistently moist but not waterlogged, based on forest habitats ^[2][4].
  • Diapause: Unknown, likely no diapause due to tropical origin ^[5].
  • Nesting: Natural nesting under stones in humid forests. In captivity, use moist substrate nests like Y-tong or plaster ^[4].
• Behavior: Workers are blind and navigate using chemical cues. Temperament is not aggressive. Escape prevention is critical due to their tiny size, use fine mesh barriers. Foraging is likely predatory based on genus patterns.
• Common Issues: escape prevention is critical due to their tiny size, they can squeeze through small gaps., no known diet information makes feeding challenging, start with small live prey like springtails., very small colony size means slow growth and high vulnerability to disturbance., virtually no biological data exists, keepers are pioneering care for this species., low reproductive rate means colonies grow extremely slowly.

Discovery and Distribution

Probolomyrmex vieti was first described in 2006 based on specimens from Vietnam, Thailand, and Java ^[1]. The type locality is Dong Nai in South Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. It has also been recorded in Hainan Province, China ^[3]. In southern Vietnam, this species is specific to Lagerstroemia forests on basalt soils ^[2].

Identification and Morphology

This species is barely separated from Probolomyrmex greavesi. Workers are distinguished by the anteroventral portion of the subpetiolar process projecting anteroventrad ^[1]. Workers are blind, with ferruginous brown coloration. Males have mandibles with two teeth in addition to the apical tooth and a broad ventrolateral concavity on the apical antennal segment ^[1].

Related Species Biology

Direct biological observations for P. vieti are limited. Studies on related species like Probolomyrmex okinawaensis show colonies under stones in botanical gardens, with 1 dealate queen and 1-5 workers ^[4]. Ovariole count is 2,indicating slow reproduction ^[4]. Proceratiinae are typically predatory, but specific prey preferences are undocumented.

Housing and Care

Given limited data, care is inferred from habitat. Keep temperatures warm (24-28°C) and humidity high with moist substrate ^[2][4]. Use naturalistic setups like digging containers or plaster nests. Escape prevention is key due to tiny size. Start with small live prey like springtails ^[4].

Challenges for Keepers

This species is challenging due to lack of captive care information. Colony sizes are tiny, growth is slow, and diet is unconfirmed. Only experienced keepers should attempt this species ^[4].

Frequently Asked Questions

Report an Issue

The current care sheet is based fully on literature. See inconsistencies, or something that's incorrect? Please report here, it will be resolved after review from an admin. Contributing to the blogs tab also helps providing information, to make us be able to further improve the caresheets. Thank you for your support!

References