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Two New Fossil Species of the Ant Genus Pristomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Rovno and Bitterfeld Ambers

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Two New Fossil Species of the Ant Genus Pristomyrmex Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Rovno and Bitterfeld Ambers ANNALES ZOOLOGICI (Warszawa), 2018, 68(2): 251-258 TWO NEW FOSSIL SPECIES OF THE ANT GENUS PRISTOMYRMEX MAYR (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM THE ROVNO AND BITTERFELD AMBERS ALEXANDER G. RADCHENKO1,* and GENNADY M. DLUSSKY† 1Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine, B. Khmelnitskogo str., 15, Kiev-30, 01030, Ukraine *Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected] Abstract.— The ant genus Pristomyrmex Mayr (subfamily Myrmicinae) comprises about 60 extant species, distributed almost exceptionally throughout the tropics except for Central and South America. Single known fossil species from this genus, P. rasnitsyni Dlussky et Radchenko, was previously described from the Late Eocene Scandinavian amber. Here we described two new extinct species: P. elmesi sp. nov. (worker) from the Rovno amber, and P. archaios sp. nov. (male) from the Bitterfeld amber. P. elmesi differs from P. rasnitsyni by the somewhat smaller size (2.4 mm vs. 3 mm), by the slightly elongated, not transversal head (HL/HW 1.02 vs. 0.95), by the somewhat longer antennal scape (SL/HL 0.75 and SL/HW 0.77 vs. 0.72 and 0.68, respectively), by the much shorter, straight and thin propodeal spines (ESL/HW 0.12 vs. 0.25), by the absence of meadial tooth on the anterior cypeal margin, by the another type of mandibular dentation, and by the longer mesosoma. Male of P. archaios differs from all extant species by the presence of two closed cells, 1r+2r and mcu, on the forewing, while forewing of the modern species has only one closed cell, 1r+2r. We consider such kind of forewing venation as the plesiomorphy compare to extant Pristomyrmex species. Ë Key words.— Ants, palaeontology, Late Eocene, Rovno amber, Bitterfeld amber, Pristomyrmex elmesi sp. nov., P. archaios sp. nov., taxonomy INTRODUCTION Far East (Wang 2003, Radchenko 2005, Zettell 2006, Terayama 2009, Bolton 2017). One fossil species, The myrmicine ant genus Pristomyrmex Mayr P. rasnitsyni, was recently described from the Late comprises about 60 described extant species distrib- Eocene Scandinavian (=Danish) amber (Dlussky uted mostly in the South-East Asia and New Guinea, & Rad chenko 2011). while about 20 endemic species occur in Central and Majority of Pristomyrmex species inhabit tropical partly South Africa, Australia, and Indian and Pacif- rainforests, where they build nests in soil or in wood ic Oceans islands; one widely distributed species, remnants and foraging as scavengers and predators in P. punc tatus (F. Smith), penetrates into Palaearctic leaf litter, ground surface or on trees (Wang 2003). Region far to the north, through temperate China, Pristomyrmex workers clearly distinguish from Korean Peninsula and Japan to the southern part other members of the tribe Myrmecinini (sensu Bol- of Isl. Hokkaido, though it is absent in the Russian ton 2003, Ogata & Okido 2007) by the combination of PL ISSN 0003-4541 © Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS doi: 10.3161/00034541ANZ2018.68.2.004 252 A. G. RADCHENKO and G. M. DLUSSKY features, particularly: they are monomorphic; the The photographs of the specimens were made antennae with 11 segments; the frontal lobes are using a Leica Z16 APO microscope equipped with absent or strongly reduced, vestigial and vertical, so Leica DFC 450 camera and processed by LAS that the antennal sockets are fully exposed; the Core software, and figures were made based on origi- propodeum, often also pronotum, with spines or at nal photographs using the computer program Corel- least long teeth (with the only one known exception); Draw 12. the petiole with long peduncle and quite big and high Not all features of the examined specimens node with rounded dorsum. In contrary, workers of were properly visible and measurable, hence we meas- Perissomyrmex M. R. Smith are polymorphic, and ured only visible details (accurate to 0.01 mm), partic- those of Acantho myrmex Emery are dimorphic; the ularly: antennae in Myr mecina Curtis and Acanthomyrmex are 12-segmented, and in Perissomyrmex –9-seg- HL – maximum length of the head in dorsal view, mented; the frontal lobes in Myrmecina well devel- measured in a straight line from the most ante- oped and at least partly cover the antennal sockets; the rior point of clypeus to the mid-point of occipital pronotum of Myrmecina and Perissomyrmex are margin; always without spines or tooth; at last, the petiole in HW – maximum width of head in full face view behind Myrmecina is sessile, without anterior peduncle and the eyes; rounded node. SL – maximum straight-line length of the scape Males of extant Pristomyrmex species are charac- from its apex to the articulation with condylar terized mainly by the strongly reduced, vestigial bulb; mandibles, by the 12-segmented antennae with short OL – maximum diameter of the eye; scape and filiform antennal funiculus lacking apical ML – diagonal length of the mesosoma (seen in pro- club, by the 5-segmented maxillary palps and 3-seg- file) from the anterior end of the neck shield to mented labial ones, by the presence of Mayrian fur- the posterior margin of the propodeal lobes rows, and usually by the lack of spur on middle and (workers) or from the anterior-upper margin of hind tibiae (sometimes could be very short, vestigial pronotum to the posterior margin of propodeal and barely defined simple spur), and the forewing is lobes (males); with only one closed cell 1r+2r. MH – height of mesosoma, measured from the up- Recently we’ve got material from the Rovno amber per level of scutum perpendicularly to the level (Late Eocene, Priabonian stage, 33.4–37.8 Ma), cont- of lower margin of mesopleuron; aining Pristomyrmex worker that differs from the ESL – maximum length of propodeal spine in profile, P. rasnitsyni from the contemporaneous Scandina- measured along the spine from its tip to the vian amber, and describe it below as Pristomyrmex deepest point of the propodeal constriction at elmesi sp. nov. Additionally, we located two Pristo- the base of the spine (worker); myrmex males in one piece of Bitterfeld amber. In ScL – maximum length of scutum + scutellum from principle, they may belong to both P. rasnitsyni and above (males); P. elmesi, as well as to a separate species. Anyway, we ScW – maximum width of scutum from above (males); decided to describe them as a separate species, Pris- PL – maximum length of the petiole, measured from tomyrmex archaios sp. nov., and the final decision on the posterodorsal margin of petiole to the artic- the taxonomic status of these males can be made if ulation with propodeum; male and worker are found in one piece of amber or at PH – maximum height of the petiole in profile, meas- least in the same deposit. ured from the uppermost point of the petiolar node perpendicularly to the imaginary line be- tween the tip of subpetiolar process and pos- teroventral points of petiole; MATERIAL AND METHODS PPL – maximum length of the postpetiole between its visible anterior and posterior margins; Totally we examined one specimen (holotype work- PPH – maximal height of the postpetiole in profile; er) of P. elmesi sp. nov., which is stored in the Schmal- PPW – maximum width of postpetiole from above; hausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy HTL – maximum length of the hind tibia. of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev (SIZK), and two males (holotype and paratype) of P. archaios sp. nov., which In this paper we do not abbreviate the various in - are stored in the Geowissenschaftlicher Zentrum dices, simply using relations of various measurements der Ge org-August-Universitat Göttingen, Germany (e.g. SL/HL instead of SI) what might be more conven- (GZG.BST). ient for readers. TWO NEW PRISTOMYRMEX SPECIES FROM THE BALTIC AND ROVNO AMBERS 253 RESULTS elongated, not transversal head (HL/HW 1.02 vs. 0.95), by the somewhat longer antennal scape (SL/HL 0.75 Description of the new species and SL/HW 0.77 vs. 0.72 and 0.68, respectively), by the much shorter, straight and thin propodeal spines Pristomyrmex elmesi sp. nov. (ESL/HW 0.12 vs. 0.25), by the absence of medial tooth on the anterior clypeal margin, by the another type of Material examined. Holotype, worker, SIZK No. mandibular dentation, and by the longer mesosoma K-7248, Rovno amber, Late Eocene, Ukraine. that is longer than head (in contrary, the mesosoma in Etymology. The species is dedicated to the memory P. rasnitsyni, is shorter than head). of well-known British myrmecologist and our friend, Dr. Graham Wakely Elmes (1943–2017). Worker (Figs 1–2). Body length ca. 2.4 mm. Head Pristomyrmex archaios sp. nov. somewhat longer than broad, with slightly convex sides, straight occipital margin and widely rounded Material examined. Holotype and paratype in the occipital corners. Eyes well developed, strongly con- same piece of amber, males, GZG.BST No. 27.041, Bit- vex, almost rounded, situated at the midlength of sides terfeld amber, Late Eocene, Germany. of head. Anterior clypeal margin medially with two Etymology. The species is named after Greek word αρχαίος short lateral teeth and without central tooth. Frontal – ancient, to stress more primitive character of lobes vestigial, vertical, antennal sockets fully exposed, the forewing venation compare to modern species. frons very narrow. Antennae 11-segmented, with dis- Males (Figs 3–4). Total length: ca. 3.5 mm. Head tinct 3-segmented apical club; scape sharply angled at slightly longer than width, gradually rounded above base, quite long, almost reaching occipital margin. eyes. Eyes very big, their maximum diameter more Man dibles elongate-triangular, their masticatory mar- than half of head length, genae very short; ocelli very gin with sharp and relatively long apical tooth, sharp big. Anterior clypeal margin straight, without notch or but shorter preapical tooth, two blunt and minute den- dents.
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