Proceratium google, also known as the Google ant, was discovered in Madagascar by Brian L. Fisher, Associate Curator of Entomology at the California Academy of Sciences. Fisher named the ant after the search engine Google, as a tribute to the usefulness of Google Earth in his research. The ant has an oddly shaped abdomen, adapted for hunting its exclusive meal of spider eggs.

Proceratium google
Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Proceratiinae
Genus: Proceratium
Species: P. google
Binomial name
Proceratium google
Fisher, 2005

References

• Antweb (2005). Species: Proceratium google. Retrieved September 30, 2005.
• California Academy of Sciences (2005). ACADEMY SCIENTIST MAPS WORLD'S ANTS WITH GOOGLE EARTH. Retrieved September 30, 2005.
• Official Google Blog; Brian L. Fisher (2005). Ants unearthed with Google Earth. Retrieved September 30, 2005.