Plagiolepis klinsmanni

Introduction

Plagiolepis klinsmanni is an extinct ant species known only from Eocene amber deposits, approximately 37-42 million years old. Workers measure 2.5-3.85mm in body length, making them small ants with a smooth, glossy body and distinctive standing hairs across their head, mesosoma, petiole, and gaster . The species has been documented in Baltic, Bitterfeld, Rovno, and Scandinavian ambers, representing one of the more common Formicinae fossils in these deposits . This species is notable for having ergatoid (wingless) females, a rare trait where replacement queens are born without wings rather than developing as fully winged reproductive females .