Myrmeciites
Myrmeciites | |
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Myrmeciites " SR 05-03-01
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Formicidae |
Subfamily: | Myrmeciinae |
Tribe: | incertae sedis |
Genus: | †Myrmeciites Archibald, Cover, & Moreau, 2006[1] |
Species | |
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Myrmeciites is an extinct
History and classification
Fossils of Myrmeciites were first studied and described by Bruce Archibald, Stefan Cover and
Archibald and colleagues classified Myrmeciites as
Description
Archibald, Cover, and Moreau erected the form genus as an encompassing category for all fossil ants which, while belonging to the subfamily Myrmeciinae, lack details needed for placement in other described genera.[4] This may be due to preservation quality or positioning of the individual ant resulting in obscured details. As Myrmeciites is a form genus it does not have a designated type species per the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.[4]
M. herculeanus
M. herculeanus was described from a
M.(?) goliath
The second species described from the McAbee Fossil Beds is M.(?) goliath and as with M. herculeanus, it is known from one specimen, though both the part and counterpart are known for M.(?) goliath. The holotype is housed in the Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, collections as UCCIPR L-18 F-999 and UCCIPRL-18 F-1000 for each side respectively.[9] The species name "goliath" was chosen by Archibald, Cover and Moreau in reference to the mythological Goliath, due to the notable size of the ant.[9] The holotype specimen is a partial worker or queen which is incomplete, with a notable portion of the gaster missing. The species can be separated from other ants by the large size, the holotype approaching 3 centimetres (1.2 in). The only other Eocene ants in this size range are members of the genus Titanomyrma, that were formerly placed in Formicium.[9][10] M.(?) goliath is distinguishable from Titanomyrma by the shape and structure of the antennae and length of the legs, which are notably shorter in Titanomyrma. The head is very round and flattened, compound eyes are present and the mandibles are small, less than half the length of the head. The head is also small in proportion to the mesosoma. The legs are large and long, and a poorly preserved petiole is known.[9] Most of the specimen is preserved in fine detail, but some characters are so poorly preserved that the exact placement of M.(?) goliath within Myrmeciinae cannot be confirmed. Only future fossils that are better preserved can clarify the position of M.(?) goliath.[11]
M.(?) tabanifluviensis
Unlike the other described Myrmeciites species, M.(?) tabanifluviensis is the only species not from the McAbee Fossil Beds. The holotype, currently deposited in the Courtenay and District Museum paleontology collections as 2003.2.10 CDM 034 was recovered from the "Horsefly shale", part of an unnamed formation, outcropping near the town of Horsefly, British Columbia. The specimen is incomplete with both the head and portions of the mesosoma and gaster missing. The adult had an estimated length in life of over 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in).[12] The right portions of the legs are well preserved while the left legs are missing with two metatibia spurs, one of which is long and the other is short and narrow. Due to the incomplete nature of the specimen and position of the preserved portions, the gender is not identifiable, though the presence of wings indicates it to be a reproductive adult. The small size of the specimen, with a fore-wing length of approximately 12 millimetres (0.47 in), separates this species from other members of the British Columbia Myrmeciinae. The type locality for the species, near the Horsefly River, was the basis for Archibald, Cover and Moreau choosing the specific epithet tabanifluviensis, combined with the horsefly genus name Tabanus, the Latin word fluvius meaning "river" and the sufix -ensis meaning "origin" or "place".[12] The justification of placing this ant in Myrmeciites is due to incomplete preservation.[13]
Unplaced specimens
Two additional specimens were placed within the form genus but not into a specific species. The Courtenay and District Museum specimen 2003.2.9 CDM 03 a&b is a 2 centimetres (20 mm) long partial male recovered from the Falkland site, near Falkland, British Columbia. The generally robust nature of the specimen excludes it from the genus Avitomyrmex, but the details needed for placement between the genera Ypresiomyrma and Macabeemyrma are not present. The Stonerose Interpretive Center specimen "SR 05-03-01" is a possible queen or worker which would have been an estimated 1.5 centimetres (15 mm) long in life. Due to the lateral preservation of the specimen, most characters for placing the specimen into one of the defined species are obscured or absent. The specimen was recovered from outcrops of the Klondike Mountain Formation north west of Republic, Washington.[14]
Ecology
Archibald and colleagues suggested that the behavioural habits for Myrmeciites ants, like that of other extinct Myrmeciinae taxa, may have been similar to its extant relatives. Workers would forage onto trees or vegetation to capture arthropod prey or to feed on nectar, soiling either in the ground or in the trees, making them an arboreal nesting insect. Like other Myrmeciine ants, Myrmeciites most likely did not lay pheromone trails or recruit nestmates to food sources; these ants may have been solitary foragers, relying on their eyes to hunt for prey and for navigational purposes.[15] The nuptial flight of M. (?) tabanifluviensis probably occurred during the late spring or summer, as in extant relatives.[16]
References
- ^ Johnson, Norman F. (19 December 2007). "Myrmeciites Archibald, Cover & Moreau". Hymenoptera Name Server version 1.5. Columbus, Ohio, USA: Ohio State University. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 487.
- ^ Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 500.
- ^ a b c Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 490.
- ^ AntWeb. "Genus: †Myrmeciites Archibald, Cover & Moreau, 2006". The California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ISSN 0417-9927.
- S2CID 83891156.
- ^ a b Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, pp. 500–501.
- ^ a b c d Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 502.
- PMID 21543354.
- ^ Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, pp. 508–509.
- ^ a b Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, pp. 502–503.
- ^ Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 509.
- ^ Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, pp. 501–502.
- ^ Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 513.
- ^ Archibald, Cover & Moreau 2006, p. 505.
Cited text
Archibald, S.B.; Cover, S. P.; Moreau, C. S. (2006). "Bulldog Ants of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands and History of the Subfamily (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae)" (PDF). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 99 (3): 487–523. .
External links
Data related to Myrmeciites at Wikispecies
- Myrmeciites at the AntWiki – Bringing Ants to the World
- Myrmeciites at AntCat