Pheidole pauchil

Introduction

Pheidole pauchil is an extinct ant species known only from a single worker preserved in Miocene Mexican amber, dated to approximately 23 million years ago. Described in 2021,it represents one of the few fossil species in the diverse genus Pheidole. The worker measures about 4.2 mm in body length, with a small head that is roughly as long as wide, long antenna scapes that extend past the top of the head, a three-segmented antennal club, and long, triangular propodeal spines . Its species name 'pauchil' means 'amber' in the Tzeltal language .