Melissotarsus ethiopiensis

Introduction

Melissotarsus ethiopiensis is an extinct ant species preserved in Miocene Ethiopian amber, approximately 10 million years old. Only a single queen specimen has been documented, making it the first fossil representative of the genus Melissotarsus ever described . The specimen measures 2.10mm in body length, with distinctive features including a subtriangular head, six-segmented antennae with a two-segmented club, well-developed mandibles with four teeth, and reduced wings with a nearly absent pterostigma . The genus Melissotarsus includes living species in Africa and surrounding regions, but this specific species is known only from fossilized amber and cannot be kept in captivity.