Carebara andrushchenkoi

Introduction

Carebara andrushchenkoi is an extinct ant species known only from fossils preserved in Late Eocene Baltic amber, approximately 37.8-33.9 million years old . The species was discovered in the Prussian Formation near Yantarny on the Sambia Peninsula in Kaliningrad, Russia, and named after Konstantin Andrushchenko, a Baltic amber enthusiast who provided the specimen for study . This tiny ant measured only 1.74mm as a minor worker and up to 3.16mm as a major worker (soldier), making it one of the smallest ants in the fossil record . The species is remarkable for being one of the few fossil ants showing clear evidence of polymorphism, with distinct major (soldier) and minor worker castes - a complex social organization that existed in Europe over 35 million years ago .