Mycetomoellerius primaevus

Introduction

Mycetomoellerius primaevus is an extinct fungus-farming ant species known only from Dominican amber, dating to the Miocene epoch around 15 million years ago . It was described from a fossil worker specimen and is the only known representative of the attine ant tribe preserved in amber, making it a key piece for understanding the evolution of fungus-growing ants . The fossil shows heavily longitudinally striate mandibles and preocular carinae curved inward, placing it in the Septentrionalis species group . This species cannot be kept in captivity – no living colonies exist. Its evolutionary significance comes from serving as a calibration point for molecular clock studies of higher attine ants .