Camponotites ullrichi

†Camponotites ullrichi Temporal range: Late Miocene K Pa Eo Ol Mi Pl Brunn-Vösendorf, Austria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Genus:	Camponotites
Species:	†C. ullrichi
Binomial name
†Camponotites ullrichi (Bachmayer, 1960)

This species, originally placed in Camponotus, was transferred to Myrmecites by Perfilieva (2022). A schematic drawing of the wing and a photographic image of insufficiently good quality in the original publication do not allow unambiguously determining the taxonomic affiliation of the wing imprint. However, the open 3r and the proximal position of the branching of the free longitudinal branch of M relative to 2r-rs and the pterostigma, the mutual position of 1RS and 1M at an angle, the absence of the slope of 2r-rs, and other features point to the erroneous description of this wing as Camponotus (Bachmayer, 1960). Most likely, it belongs to the subfamily Myrmicinae. Therefore, Perfilieva (2022) transferred it to the formal genus of an unclear position (incertae sedis) as Myrmecites ullrichi.

Boudinot et al. (2024) - These fossils could be considered unidentifiable to species, hence invalid, but are here treated as incertae sedis in Camponotus to highlight their existence. Critically, because of the lack of morphological information, it is possible that a number of these taxa belong to other genera of Camponotini (see Ward et al. (2016) and Ward & Boudinot (2021)). Reexamination of the original material is necessary in all cases (Boudinot et al. (2024), Note 11).

To prevent the uncritical usage of unidentifiable fossils attributed to Camponotus for macroevolutionary analysis, this species has been transferred to the form genus Camponotites. A form genus is a classificatory category used for fossils which are similar in appearance but cannot be reliably assigned to an established genus, in this case Camponotus. See Camponotites for further justification for this treatment. Until then, it is placed within Camponotites, noting that the taxa placed within this genus are unlikely to be closely related to each other.

Boudinot et al. (2024), Note 16 - Bachmayer (1960) described †C. ullrichi based on a single forewing from a Miocene-aged deposit in Austria. This ~10.3 mm long wing cannot be attributed to Camponotus or the Camponotini because free M diverges from Rs+M proxi‹mad 2r-rs by more than twice the length of that cross vein. In Camponotini, free M diverges at or distad 2r-rs (see Char. 499 on p. 293 of Boudinot et al. 2022b; also, Ward and Boudinot 2021). Because only Myrmelachistini in Formicinae have the split of Rs+M well proximad 2r-rs, and as these ants are miniscule, we would prefer to consider the taxon incertae sedis in Formicidae. However, as this would necessitate the recognition of another “trashbin’’ form taxon, we elect to place the fossil in †Camponotites and to consider it unidentifiable, hence subjectively invalid.

Distribution

This taxon was described from Brunn-Vösendorf, Austria (Late Miocene).

Nomenclature

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

• †ullrichi. †Camponotus ullrichi Bachmayer, 1960: 13, pl. 1, fig. 2 (wing) AUSTRIA (Pliocene).
  • Combination in Myrmecites: Perfilieva, 2022: 419.
  • Combination in Camponotites: Boudinot et al., 2024: 145.
  • Status as species: Bolton, 1995b: 128.

References

• Bachmayer, F. 1960. Insektenreste aus den Congerienschichten (Pannon) von Brunn-Vösendorf (südl. von Wien) Niederösterreich. Sitzungsber. Österr. Akad. Wiss. Math.-Naturwiss. Kl. Abt. I 169: 11-16 (page 13, pl. 1, fig. 2 wing described)
• Boudinot, B.E., Bock, B.L., Weingardt, M., Tröger, D., Batelka, J., LI, D., Richter, A., Pohl, H., Moosdorf, O.T.D., Jandausch, K., Hammel, J.U., Beutel, R. G. 2024. Et latet et lucet: Discoveries from the Phyletisches Museum amber and copal collection in Jena, Germany. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 711, 111–176 (doi:10.3897/dez.71.112433).
• Perfilieva, K.S. 2022. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from localities of the Russian Far East (Amgu, Velikaya Kema). Paleontological Journal, 56(4), 412–425 (doi:10.1134/s0031030122040086).