Apterostigma electropilosum
| Apterostigma electropilosum Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Myrmicinae |
| Genus: | Apterostigma |
| Species: | A. electropilosum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Apterostigma electropilosum Schultz, 2007
| |
Apterostigma electropilosum is an
extinct species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae known from a single possibly Miocene[1] fossil found on Hispaniola. A. electropilosum is one of only two species of the ant genus Apterostigma and one of five attini species to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber.[2]
History and classification
Apterostigma electropilosum is known from a solitary fossil insect which is an
coccoliths. This age range is due to the host rock being secondary deposits for the amber, and the Miocene the age range is only the youngest that it might be.[1]
The
species group which A. electropilosum it part of.[2]
Prior to the species formal description in 2007, no Apterostigma species were known from the fossil record, however three other Attini species were already known from Dominican Amber, Trachymyrmex primaevus, Cyphomyrmex maya, and Cyphomyrmex taino. Schultz's paper described a second Dominican amber Apterostigma species, A. eowilsoni. Bringing the total Attini fossil record to five species.[2]
Description
The Apterostigma electropilosum specimen is well preserved with an estimated
extant species.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Poinar, G.; Heiss, E. (2011). "New Termitaphididae and Aradidae (Hemiptera) in Mexican and Dominican amber" (PDF). Palaeodiversity. 4: 51–62.
- ^ a b c d e Schultz, T.R. (2007). "The fungus-growing ant genus Apterostigma in Dominican amber". Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 80: 425–436.
- ^ Woodruff, R.E. (2009). "A new fossil species of stag beetle from Dominican Republic amber, with Australasian connections (Coleoptera: Lucanidae)". Insecta Mundi. 0098: 1–10.