Aquilomyrmex

†Aquilomyrmex; Temporal range: Early Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous K Pa Eo Ol Mi Pl Burmese amber, Kachin State, Myanmar
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	†Haidomyrmecinae
Genus:	†Aquilomyrmex; Perrichot, Wang & Barden, 2020
Type species
	†Aquilomyrmex huangi;
Diversity
	1 fossil species; (Species Checklist)

Identification

Perrichot et al. (2020) - Queen. Head dorsoventrally flattened, with large compound eyes situated dorsolaterally at anterior margin of head; with prominent, anteriorly protruding frontal shelf, clypeal horn and labrum. Antennae inserted laterally on frontal shelf, well in front of compound eyes and above base of clypeal horn; antennal scape long. Apex of clypeal horn bifurcated widely, with each bifurcation subsequently terminating in a bilobed pad; lateral margins of horn connecting obliquely with anteroventral angles of head, just above mandibular insertion, connected by a cleared vertical cuticle, rimmed by short thin erect setae and occasional serrations. Labrum situated ventrally of horn, with size and shape similar to horn except for apex, which is only bifid; ventral margin coated by peglike denticles on its basal half. Mandibles sickle-shaped, inserted ventrally very close to compound eyes, with all margins smooth (triangular blade absent) and acute tips converging between labral apex. Legs very long, with femora distinctly swollen basally, and apically with two flange-like cuticular lobes flanking the base of tibia. Petiole node-shaped, with small subpetiolar process. A deep, girdling constriction between first and second gastral segments.

Distribution

This taxon is known from Burmese amber, Kachin State, Myanmar (Early Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous).

Castes

Only known from the queen.

Fig. 5. Overview and details of alate females (gynes) of Aquilomyrmex huangi gen. et sp. nov. Specimen RM3 (A–C), specimen HA06 (D), paratype NIGP171999 (E–F), and holotype NIGP172000 (G–H). Habitus (A, E), heads (B, D), hind leg and first metasomal segments (C) in lateral view. Head in dorsolateral view (F), head in dorsal view (G), head in ventral view (H). Scale bars: 1 mm (A, E), 0.25 mm (B–D, F–H).

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

†AQUILOMYRMEX [†Haidomyrmecinae]
- †Aquilomyrmex Perrichot, Wang & Barden, 2020: 10. Type-species: †Aquilomyrmex huangi, by original desgination.

Etymology

The generic name is a combination of aquilex (Latin, meaning ‘dowser’), and myrmex (Greek, meaning ‘ant’), and refers to the dowsing stick-like clypeal and labral processes. The name is masculine.

References