Zigrasimeciinae is a subfamily of

ants Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Creta ...

, known from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

period, originally named as the tribe Zigrasimeciini within the subfamily

Sphecomyrminae Sphecomyrminae is an extinct subfamily of ants in family Formicidae known from a series of Cretaceous fossils found in North America, Europe, and Asia. Sphecomyrminae contains eight genera, divided into two tribes Sphecomyrmini and Zigrasimec ...

by Borysenko, 2017, it was elevated to full subfamily in 2020. It contains three described genera. They are sometimes known as "iron-maiden ants" in reference to their densely spiked mouthparts, reminiscent of an

iron maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

torture device, that were likely used to trap prey. ''

Boltonimecia canadensis ''Boltonimecia'' is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Zigrasimeciinae. The genus contains a single described species, ''Boltonimecia canadensis'', and is known from a single Late Cretaceous fossil which was found in Canada. The ...

'' was described from

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...

Canadian amber Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

out of Alberta, Canada, while the species of '' Protozigrasimecia'' and ''

Zigrasimecia ''Zigrasimecia'' is an extinct genus of ants which existed in the Cretaceous period approximately 98 million years ago. The first specimens were collected from Burmese amber in Kachin State, west of Myitkyina town in Myanmar. In 2013, palaeo ...

'' are both exclusively known from

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

found in Myanmar.

Genera and species

* ''

Boltonimecia ''Boltonimecia'' is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Zigrasimeciinae. The genus contains a single described species, ''Boltonimecia canadensis'', and is known from a single Late Cretaceous fossil which was found in Canada. The ...

'' ** ''B. canadensis'' *'' Protozigrasimecia'' ** ''P. chauli'' * ''

'' ** ''Z. ferox'' ** ''Z. goldingot'' ** ''Z. hoelldobleri'' ** ''Z. tonsora''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q110078439 Ants Ant subfamilies