Neivamyrmex ectopus

Introduction

Neivamyrmex ectopus is an extinct army ant species preserved in Miocene Dominican amber, dating to approximately 16 million years ago . This fossil represents the only known 'true army ant' fossil and is one of only a handful of Dorylinae fossils ever discovered . The worker was described by Wilson in 1985 from amber found in the Dominican Republic, making it the only known Neivamyrmex species from the Greater Antilles, though the genus still exists today in the Lesser Antilles and mainland Neotropics . The fossil shows overall similarity to contemporary Mexican and United States Neivamyrmex species rather than South American species, suggesting the genus once had a more widespread Caribbean distribution .