Cardiocondyla primitiva

Introduction

Cardiocondyla primitiva is an extinct ant species known only from a single fossilized winged queen preserved in Rovno amber from the late Eocene epoch, approximately 37.8 to 33.9 million years ago . The specimen was found in Rivne Province, Ukraine. This species represents the earliest known record of the genus Cardiocondyla, pushing back the known history of this genus by at least 18 million years . Unlike modern Cardiocondyla species, this fossil queen had unusually well-developed wing venation with three closed cells, and a smoothly rounded propodeum without spines or tubercles . Workers and males have never been found.