Myrmica longispinosa

Introduction

Myrmica longispinosa is an extinct ant species known only from fossil specimens preserved in Baltic amber from the Late Eocene period, approximately 37.8-33.9 million years ago . Workers measured approximately 5mm in total body length and were characterized by coarse body sculpture, long propodeal spines directed backward, and distinctive pectinate spurs on the meso- and metatibiae . The species was originally described by Mayr in 1868 based on a single worker specimen, though the holotype is now believed to be lost . This ant lived in what is now the Baltic region of Europe during a time when the climate was considerably warmer than present-day conditions .