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Oecophylla obesa
| †Oecophylla obesa Temporal range: Burdigalian, Early Miocene Radoboj, Croatia | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Formicinae |
| Tribe: | Oecophyllini |
| Genus: | Oecophylla |
| Species: | †O. obesa |
| Binomial name | |
| †Oecophylla obesa (Heer, 1849)
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| Synonyms | |
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Identification
Distribution
This taxon was described from Radoboj, Croatia (Burdigalian, Early Miocene).
Castes
Nomenclature
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
- †obesa. †Formica obesa Heer, 1849: 108, pl. 8, fig. 1 (q.) CROATIA (Miocene). [Also described as new by Heer, 1850: 108.] Combination in Oecophylla: Mayr, 1867b: 50. Senior synonym of †anthracina, nigra, longipes, pinguis: Dlussky & Putyatina, 2014: 252.
- †anthracina. †Attopsis anthracina Heer, 1849: 156, pl. 12, fig. 12 (m.) CROATIA. [Also described as new by Heer, 1850: 156.] Combination in Cataulacus: Mayr, 1867b: 58. Junior synonym of obesa: Dlussky & Putyatina, 2014: 252. See also: Bolton, 1974a: 87.
- †nigra. †Attopsis nigra Heer, 1849: 157, pl. 12, fig. 13 (q.) CROATIA. [Also described as new by Heer, 1850: 157.] Combination in Cataulacus: Mayr, 1867b: 58. Junior synonym of †anthracinus: Mayr, 1867b: 58; of obesa: Dlussky & Putyatina, 2014: 252.
- †longipes. †Attopsis longipes Heer, 1867: 29, pl. 2, fig. 15 (m.?) CROATIA (Miocene). Junior synonym of obesa: Dlussky & Putyatina, 2014: 252. See also: Förster, 1891: 442.
- †pinguis. †Formica pinguis Heer, 1849: 110, pl. 8, figs. 3, 4 (q.) CROATIA (Miocene). [Also described as new by Heer, 1850: 110.] Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1867b: 51. Junior synonym of obesa: Dlussky & Putyatina, 2014: 252.
Taxonomic Notes
In the original description of this species Heer (1849), under "9. Formica obesa", lists three sets of specimens examined, one under the heading "a. Formica obesa Radobojana", one under "b. Zwei Exemplare ..." and one under "c. Formica obesa Oeningensis". When discussing these specimens, Mayr (1867) listed them under two subspecies, Formica obesa radobojana and Formica obesa oeningensis, not mentioning the nominate subspecies, Formica obesa obesa. Mayr then transferred Formica obesa radobojana to Oecophylla and left Formica obesa oeningensis in Formica, awaiting further study of the actual specimens. Cockerell (1915) next examined this material, noting that Formica obesa consisted of two types, Formica obesa radobojana and Formica obesa oeningensis. He listed the first as Oecophylla obesa (following Mayr's (1867) generic placment) and the second he transferred to Camponotus and raised to species, as Camponotus oeningensis. Bolton (1995), in his world catalogue, also listed a single species, Formica obesa with a single subspecies, Formica obesa oeningensis (as a species within Camponotus), with no mention of Formica obesa radobojana. Finally, Boudinot et al. (2024) transferred Camponotus oeningesis to Camponotites, again, without mention of Formica obesa radobojana.
Bolton (while updating his Catalogue) has reexamined this situation and determined that there is only a single species involved, Formica obesa (now Oecophylla obesa) and that neither of the "subspecies" were properly described and should be treated as unavailable names. As a result, the type material of Formica obesa contains a mix of specimens belonging to Oecophylla (specimens from Radoboj) and Camponotites (specimens from Oeningen). To resolve the true identity of this species will require the selection of a lectotype from Heer's original material, with the remaining specimens representing another (potentially undescribed) species.
Description
References
- Dlussky, G.M. & Putyatina, T.S. 2014. Early Miocene ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Radoboj, Croatia. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen 272, 237-285.
- Heer, O. 1849. Die Insektenfauna der Tertiärgebilde von Oeningen und von Radoboj in Croatien. Zweiter Theil: Heuschrecken, Florfliegen, Aderflüger, Schmetterlinge und Fliegen. Leipzig: W. Engelmann, vi + 264 pp. (page 108, pl. 8, fig. 1 queen described)
- Mayr, G. 1867b. Vorläufige Studien über die Radoboj-Formiciden, in der Sammlung der k. k. geologischen Reichsanstalt. Jahrb. K-K. Geol. Reichsanst. Wien 17: 47-62 (page 50, Combination in Oecophylla)
- Perfilieva, K.S. 2021. Distribution and differentiation of fossil Oecophylla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species by wing imprints. Paleontological Journal 55(1), 76–89 (doi:10.1134/s003103012101010x).