Protazteca

There are four fossil species in the genus Protazteca, all are known from Florissant shale (Oligocene) in the United Sates. At this time Protazteca is incertae sedis within the Dolichoderinae. This genus is one of the commonest of Florissant ants.

Identification
Female. - Head quadrate or subquadrate; mandibles large, triangular, with a distinct terminal tooth; anterior margin of clypeus straight; antennae 12-segmented, short, the scapes not reaching the posterior margin of the head, inserted close together near the clypeus; eyes oval, rather small, situated on the sides of the anterior half of the head; posterior face of the propodeum rounded; petiole rather small, gaster of moderate size; forewing with two closed cubital cells.

Male. - Only a little smaller than the female; head triangular; antennae 11-segmented; scape about as long as first funicular segments, as in Azteca; thorax and gaster relatively large; venation as in the female.

Worker. - Much smaller than the female, but otherwise similar to it.

Distribution
Found in Florissant shale in Colorado, USA.(Oligocene)

Castes
Queen, male, worker.

Nomenclature

 * † PROTAZTECA [incertae sedis in Dolichoderinae]
 * †Protazteca Carpenter, 1930: 41. Type-species: †Protazteca elongata, by original designation.

Additional References

 * Carpenter, F. M. 1930. The fossil ants of North America. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 70: 1-66


 * Ward, P.S., Brady, S.G., Fisher, B.L. & Schultz, T.R. 2010. Phylogeny and biogeography of Dolichoderinae ants: effects of data partitioning and relict taxa on historical inference. Systematic Biology 59: 342-362