Tetraponera lacrimarum

Introduction

Tetraponera lacrimarum is an extinct ant species known only from Baltic amber deposits dating to the Late Eocene period, approximately 44 million years ago. Workers measured 3.0-3.5mm in body length, with a rectangular head longer than wide, convex oval eyes positioned toward the front of the head, and short curved antennae that did not extend to the back of the head . The body was smooth and shiny with sparse punctation, and the species showed the characteristic triangular petiole shape typical of the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae . This species was originally described as Sima lacrimarum by Wheeler in 1915,later moved to the genus Tetraponera, synonymized with T. angustata in 1997,then revived as a valid species in 2009 . This is a fossil-only species - no living specimens exist. It cannot be kept, collected, or cared for in any way. If you are interested in keeping Tetraponera ants, look for living species like Tetraponera allaborans or Tetraponera rufonigra from specialized ant breeders.