Platythyrea primaeva

Introduction

Platythyrea primaeva is an extinct ant species preserved in Eocene Baltic amber, dating back approximately 44-49 million years. Workers measure about 5.5 mm in body length, while queens reach around 6 mm . The species belongs to the subfamily Ponerinae and was originally described by Wheeler in 1915 based on fossil specimens found in Baltic amber deposits . The ant has a rectangular head longer than wide, small denticles on the mandibles, and a distinctive propodeum with a pair of obtuse spines . The body is matte with coarse pits on the sides of the propodeum and petiole . This species represents a tropical ant that lived in what is now Europe during the Eocene epoch, when the region's climate was significantly warmer than today . Since it is extinct, no living colonies exist, and it cannot be kept in captivity.