Platythyrea scalpra

Introduction

Platythyrea scalpra is an extinct ant species known only from a single worker preserved in Miocene-era Dominican amber, approximately 15-20 million years old. Workers measured 3.82 mm in total length, making this the smallest known species in the genus Platythyrea . The species was formally described in 2003 by John E. Lattke based on fossil specimens . The name 'scalpra' comes from the Latin word for 'chisel', referring to the distinctive chisel-like shape of the petiolar node when viewed from the side . As a fossil species, no living specimens exist and no biological or behavioral data is available.