Plagiolepis squamifera

Introduction

Plagiolepis squamifera is an extinct ant species that lived during the Late Eocene period, approximately 44-49 million years ago. Workers measured just 1.6-1.8 mm in length, making them tiny ants with a smooth, shiny body and 11-segmented antennae . The species has been preserved in Baltic amber from the Baltic Sea region and Bitterfeld amber from Germany, with recent records also in Rovno amber from Ukraine . This is a fossil species only known from amber inclusions - it cannot be kept as a living colony.