| Proceratium google | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Proceratium google worker,holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Proceratium |
| Species: | P. google |
| Binomial name | |
| Proceratium google Fisher, 2005 | |
Proceratium google, also known as theGoogle ant, was discovered inMadagascar byBrian L. Fisher, Associate Curator ofEntomology at theCalifornia Academy of Sciences. The ant has an oddly shaped abdomen, adapted for hunting its exclusive meal of spider eggs.[1]
Fisher named the ant after the search engine companyGoogle Inc., as a tribute to the usefulness ofGoogle Earth in his research.[2][1] He wrote:[2]
Named in recognition of the support from the Google company. I hope that Google will continue applying its talent to serve data relevant to the biodiversity community, conservation planners, and the general public. By creating a “Zoogle,” Google could help achieve free and democratic access to taxonomic and biodiversity data on species.P. google is also suspected to be a specialist egg predator of spiders, which is also why this ant is aptly named after Google— for the ability to hunt down obscure prey. The specific name is an arbitrary combination, to be treated as a noun in apposition.
