Acanthognathus poinari

Introduction

Acanthognathus poinari is an extinct fossil ant known only from a single queen preserved in Dominican amber from the Miocene epoch . Described by Baroni Urbani and De Andrade in 1994,this species represents the only fossil record for the genus Acanthognathus . The fossil queen shows distinctive transverse ridges on the back corners of the head, a feature that separates it from all living relatives . Based on its smooth body surface and head structure, it appears most closely related to the living species Acanthognathus brevicornis and Acanthognathus teledectus . As an extinct species known only from the fossil record, no living colonies exist today and no captive care information is available.