Pristomyrmex elmesi

Introduction

Pristomyrmex elmesi is an extinct ant species known only from a single worker preserved in Rovno amber from the Late Eocene period, approximately 33.4-37.8 million years ago . Workers measure about 2.4 mm in body length and have an 11-segmented antenna with a 3-segmented apical club . The species features short propodeal spines, a long pedunculate petiole, and coarse reticulation on the head and mesosoma . It was named in memory of British myrmecologist Dr. Graham Wakely Elmes . The genus Pristomyrmex includes about 60 living species primarily in the Oriental region, with others in Afrotropical, Australian, and Oceanian areas . This fossil species cannot be kept as it is extinct and known only from ancient amber.