Nesomyrmex dominicanus

Introduction

Nesomyrmex dominicanus is an extinct ant species known only from a single worker preserved in Miocene Dominican amber . The specimen measures 2.9 mm in total length with a reddish-brown (ferrugineous) body and yellowish-orange legs . Originally described as Leptothorax dominicanus, it was later moved to the genus Nesomyrmex . The fossil reveals 12-jointed antennae, an ancestral condition compared to the 11-jointed antennae of modern relatives, and shows close similarity to the living Central and South American species Nesomyrmex echinatinodis . This fossil demonstrates that the genus Nesomyrmex has remained morphologically stable for millions of years.