Pheidole tethepa

Introduction

Pheidole tethepa is an extinct ant species known only from fossils preserved in Dominican amber dating to approximately 16-19 million years ago during the Early Miocene epoch . This species was first described by Wilson in 1985 based on minor worker specimens found in the La Toca amber mine . The species is notable for having unique pronotal humeral spines, which are small spines on the thorax and unusual among New World Pheidole species . Only minor workers have been documented - no major workers, queens, or males have been found in the fossil record . This species cannot be kept in captivity because it went extinct millions of years before humans existed. No living specimens exist, and the species is only known from fossilized individuals preserved in amber. If you are interested in keeping Pheidole species, consider living species such as Pheidole megacephala, which is commonly available in the antkeeping hobby .