Scientific illustration of Pseudomyrmex saxulum ant - showing key identification features including head, thorax, and gaster.

Fossil Pseudomyrmex saxulum

Non-Parasitic Queen No Gamergate
Sci. Name
Pseudomyrmex saxulum
Tribe
Pseudomyrmecini
Subfamily
Pseudomyrmecinae
Author
LaPolla & Greenwalt, 2015
Fossil
Yes (fossil species)
Distribution
Found in 0 countries

Introduction

Pseudomyrmex saxulum is an extinct ant species known from a single fossil queen discovered in the Middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation (about 44 million years old) in Montana, USA . This makes it the oldest known Pseudomyrmex species in the fossil record . The fossil is preserved in lateral compression, showing an overall dark brown body with lighter segmental margins and yellowish‑brown legs . The forewing length is 4.09 mm; full body length cannot be determined from the preserved specimen . Pseudomyrmex is a genus of slender, long‑legged ants typically found in tropical and subtropical regions, often nesting in plant cavities or wood, but the specific ecology of P. saxulum cannot be reconstructed from fossil evidence.

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Status by country, from Kass et al. 2022 & Wong et al. 2023

Native Invasive Introduced (indoor) Intercepted Unknown
2000 - 2026
Fossil

No caresheet needed

Pseudomyrmex saxulum is a fossil species and does not require a caresheet.