Camponotites lignitus

Introduction

Camponotites lignitus is an extinct ant species known from Miocene fossil deposits in Europe, originally described as Formica lignitum by Germar in 1837. This fossil ant was discovered in the famous Oeningen deposits in Germany and is also known from Radoboj in Croatia. Based on fossil measurements, it was a relatively large ant - the queen measured approximately 10mm in total length with a wing length of about 15mm. The workers were brownish-black in color, with an oval abdomen. This species is closely related to the living Camponotus herculeanus group, making it an ancient relative of the carpenter ants we keep today [AntWiki]. IMPORTANT: This is a fossil species that went extinct millions of years ago. It cannot be kept in captivity. If you're interested in keeping Camponotus ants, consider similar living species like Camponotus herculeanus or Camponotus ligniperdus, which are close modern relatives.