Ravavy goldmani

Introduction

Ravavy goldmani is an extinct ant species known only from fossilized males preserved in Early Miocene amber (16-23 million years old) from the Amhara region of Ethiopia . This dolichoderine ant belongs to the tribe Bothriomyrmecini, making it related to modern genera like Bothriomyrmex and Tapinoma. The species was formally described in 2022 by Boudinot and Perrichot . Specimens measure about 2.3-2.6 mm in body length (total length from mandibles to gaster) and show distinctive features: one-toothed, spoon-shaped mandibles, six maxillary and three labial palps, and wing venation with a very long marginal cell . Only males have been found - we have no workers, queens, or colony structures, so almost nothing is known about its social life, nesting, or diet.