Dolichoderus pinguis
| Dolichoderus pinguis Temporal range:
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Genus: | Dolichoderus |
| Species: | †D. pinguis
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| Binomial name | |
| †Dolichoderus pinguis Dlussky, Rasnitsyn & Perfilieva, 2015
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Dolichoderus pinguis is an extinct species of formicid in the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae known from a fossil found in Asia. The species is one of a number in the genus described from fossils.
History and classification
Dolichoderus pinguis is known from a single ant found in Russia.[1] The specimen was described from a compression fossil preserved in diatomite deposits of the Bol’shaya Svetlovodnaya site. Located in the Pozharsky District, on the Pacific Coast of Russia, the fossil bearing rocks preserve possibly Priabonian plants and animals which lived in a small lake near a volcano. The site has been attibuted to either the Maksimovka or Salibez Formations and compared to the Bembridge Marls and Florissant Formation, both of which are Priabonian in age.[1]
At the time of description, the holotype specimen, number PIN 3429/1134 was preserved in the A. A. Borissiak Paleontological Institute collections, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The fossil was first described by the trio of paleomyrmecologists Gennady Dlussky, Alexandr Rasnitsyn and Ksenia Perfilieva. In the type description, Dlussky, Rasnitsyn and Perfilieva named the species P. pinguis, with the specific epithet derived from the Latin "pinguis", which means fat.[2]
Description
The genus is separated from other members of Aneuretinae, notably Aneuretus and Protaneuretus based on several characters. The workers are longer and more slender then those of the other genera, and they have an elongated, narrow head capsule. In all three species, the gaster is smooth, showing no contrition between the first and second segments, and the petioles are node shaped with a peduncle [1]
P. dubovikoffi was described from a single worker and a single gyne, both deposited in the A. A. Borissiak Paleontological Institute collections, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The 6 mm (0.24 in) worker is preserved as a partial profile impression, missing portions of the legs and antennae. The eyes are placed a little past the midpoint of the head capsule towards back, and have an oval shape. The upper side of the pronotum has a rounded profile appearance, as does the pronotum, and a mesopropodial constriction is present.[1] the petiole is a rounded node in shape and a short stalk attachment connects it to the propodium. The gyne is notably larger then the worker, at approximately 17–18 mm (0.67–0.71 in) long, and has a head that is wider then long when the mandibles are excluded. Also unlike the worker, the eyes are placed at the midpoint of the head, though they are small as the workers are. There are a number of denticles along the chewing margin on the large triangle shaped mandibles. While the scape extends beyond the back of the head, its total length is less then that of the head.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Dlussky, G.M.; Rasnitsyn, A.P.; Perfilieva, K.S. (2015). "The Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Bol'shaya Svetlovodnaya (Late Eocene of Sikhote-Alin, Russian Far East)" (PDF). Caucasian Entomological Bulletin. 11 (1): 131–152.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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