Cylindromyrmex electrinus

Introduction

Cylindromyrmex electrinus is an extinct ant species known only from a single fossil queen preserved in Dominican amber from the Miocene epoch, approximately 20 million years old . This makes it one of the oldest known ant fossils in the Dorylinae subfamily. The queen measures 7.36mm in total length, with distinctive features including black coloration, striated body sculpture, and specialized morphological characters that place it in the brevitarsus clade alongside two living species, Cylindromyrmex brevitarsus and Cylindromyrmex darlingtoni . The species name 'electrinus' comes from Latin meaning 'made of amber' . As a fossil species, no living specimens exist, and it cannot be kept in captivity.