Zatania electra
| Zatania electra | |
|---|---|
| |
| Holotype | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Genus: | Zatania |
| Species: | †Z. electra
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Zatania electra LaPolla, Kallal & Brady, 2012
| |
Zatania electra is an
History and classification
Zatania electra is known from a group of three fossil insects which are entombed in pieces of
At the time of description, the holotype worker and paratype male were preserved in the American Museum of Natural History collections while the paratype worker was part of the Museum of Comparative Zoology collections. The trio of ant fossils were first studied by entomologists John Lapolla, Robert Kallal, and Seán Brady with their 2012 type description of the new species being published in the journal Systematic Entomology. The specific epithet electra is derived from the Greek word electra which means "amber", referencing the species preservation in amber.[1]
Description
The coloration of both the workers and the males are hard to determine, being either a uniform reddish or dark brown. There are upright standing setae on the gaster, notum, propodeum, head and scapes, but it is hard to determine if fine pubescence is present on the head or antennae. The head is an elongate oval in outline with the rear corners rounded and indistinct. The eyes are small and notably convex while the mandibles have five possible teeth. The basal segment of the antennae, the scape, is elongated, reaching back past the rear margin of the head.[1]
The males have a slightly rectangular heads that are wider than long, and dominated on each side by convex large compound eyes. The mandibles have large apical teeth and possibly small denticles, similar to males of the living species Zatania gibberosa. As in the workers, the antennae have elongated scapes that extend beyond the rear margin of the head and have short setae on them. The genitalia are similar to the species Zatania cisipa and Zatania gloriosa, having narrow long parameres.[1]
References
- ^ S2CID 84919642.
- ^ a b Poinar, G.; Heiss, E. (2011). "New Termitaphididae and Aradidae (Hemiptera) in Mexican and Dominican amber" (PDF). Palaeodiversity. 4: 51–62.
- ^ 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.