Tapinoma baculum

Introduction

Tapinoma baculum is an extinct species of ant known only from a single fossil impression in the middle Miocene Shanwang Formation of Shandong, China . The only specimen is an alate gyne (winged queen) with a body length of about 3.25 mm. Its anterior clypeal margin was broadly convex, and the scape and petiole are not clearly visible in the fossil . As a member of the Dolichoderinae subfamily, tribe Tapinomini, it likely shared the typical defense mechanism of exuding sticky, foul-smelling compounds from its anal gland, but no specific behavioral data exist. This species is one of the few fossil Tapinoma known from Asia.