Formica phaethusa

Introduction

Formica phaethusa is an extinct ant species known only from Eocene Baltic amber, dating back approximately 44-49 million years. Workers measured about 6mm in total body length, making them comparable in size to many modern Formica species. The species was originally described by Wheeler in 1915 and has also been recorded in Rovno amber and Bitterfeld amber deposits across Europe . This is a fossil species that no longer exists on Earth. It cannot be collected, kept, or cultivated in any way. The only specimens available to science are those preserved in ancient amber deposits, which provide valuable information about ant evolution during the Eocene period.