''Aphaenogaster mayri'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species of ant in formicid subfamily

Myrmicinae Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants, with about 140 extant genera; their distribution is cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes. The nests are permanent and ...

known from a series of Late Eocene fossils found in North America. ''A. mayri'' was one of two ''

Aphaenogaster ''Aphaenogaster'' is a genus of myrmicine ants. About 200 species have been described, including 18 fossil species. They occur worldwide except in South America south of Colombia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Antarctica. They are often confused w ...

'' species described in a 1930 paper by Frank M. Carpenter.

History and classification

''Aphaenogaster mayri'' is known from a series of fossil insects which are compression-impression fossils preserved in fine

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

s of the Florissant formation in Colorado. The formation is composed of successive lake deposits which have preserved a diverse assemblage of insects. The insects and plants suggest a climate similar to modern southeastern North America, with a number of taxa represented that are now found in the subtropics to tropics and confined to the Old World. When ''A. mayri'' was described, the Florissant formation was considered to be Miocene in age, based on the flora and fauna preserved. Successive research and fossil descriptions moved the age older and by 1985 the formation had been reassigned to an

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

age. Further refinement of the formation's age using radiometric dating of sanidine crystals has resulted in an age of 34 million years old. This places the formation in the Eocene Priabonian stage. At the time of description the species was known from a series of forty-one type fossils and over two hundred good fossils were examined for the species description. The holotype was deposited in the Museum of Comparative Zoology paleontology collections at Harvard University. Along with a number of other insect type specimens, the ''A. mayri'' holotype is part of the Samuel Hubbard Scudder insect collection donated to Harvard in 1902. The fossil was first studied by paleoentomologist

Frank M. Carpenter Frank Morton Carpenter (September 6, 1902 – January 18, 1994) was an American entomologist and paleontologist. He received his PhD from Harvard University, and was curator of fossil insects at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology for 60 y ...

of the Museum of Comparative Zoology with his 1930

type description A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have ...

of the new species being published in the ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology''. The etymology for the

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''mayri'' was not given with the type description, but is likely in honour of the Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr. ''A. mayri'' was one of two ''Aphaenogaster'' species which Carpenter described in the paper, the other species being ''

Aphaenogaster donisthorpei ''Aphaenogaster donisthorpei'' is an extinct species of ant in formicid subfamily Myrmicinae known from a Late Eocene fossil from North America. ''A. donisthorpei'' was one of two ''Aphaenogaster'' species described in the 1930 paper. Histo ...

'', both from the Florissant Formation.

Description

The ''Aphaenogaster mayri'' queens range from , with a fairly slender build. Body segment lengths are for the head, for the thorax and for the gaster. The head capsule is a little longer than it is wide and has a large pair of mandibles. The antennae are long and slender in appearance, composed of a scape that is extends past the hind margin of the head and funicular segments which are twice as long are they are wide. Both the head and thorax show visible distinct sculpturing. Male ''A. mayri'' are distinguished from queens by their smaller size, being around in length and having a head capsule with a triangular outline. Similarly the workers are distinct from queens by the smaller size, with a length of approximately and heavier sculpturing on the head capsule and thorax then queens. The head capsule has the same outline as that of the queens, distinguishing workers from males. ''A. mayri'' and ''A. donisthorpei'' are distinguished based on the more slender nature of ''A. donisthorpei'', with more elongated head and thorax proportions.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14445648 mayri Priabonian insects Fossil ant taxa Prehistoric insects of North America Fossil taxa described in 1930 Florissant Formation Taxa named by Frank M. Carpenter