Anochetus lucidus

Introduction

Anochetus lucidus is an extinct species of trap-jaw ant that lived approximately 17 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. Known only from a worker specimen preserved in Dominican Amber, this species was formally described by De Andrade in 1994 . The fossil provides a remarkable snapshot of ancient ant life, capturing one of the lineages within the trap-jaw ant group. While living colonies no longer exist, the specimen helps scientists understand how these specialized predators evolved and diversified in the ancient Caribbean . As a member of the altisquamis species group, Anochetus lucidus represents an early branch of the Anochetus lineage that has been used to calibrate molecular clocks in phylogenetic studies. This calibration helps researchers date when different trap-jaw ant groups split from one another, making this tiny fossil scientifically valuable despite being impossible to keep in captivity .