Vollenhovia kipyatkovi

Introduction

Vollenhovia kipyatkovi is an extinct ant species known only from a single fossil worker preserved in Rovno amber from Late Eocene deposits in Ukraine . The worker measures approximately 2.5 mm in total body length . This species belongs to the subfamily Myrmicinae and tribe Crematogastrini . The fossil exhibits distinctive features including 12-segmented antennae with a 3-segmented club, a sessile petiole with a cuneiform shape, and dense coarse punctation on the head and mesosoma combined with short irregular sinuous rugulosity . Based on the amber specimen, the body appears greyish-black, though this color may be artificial . The species was described in 2013 and named in memory of Prof. Vladilen Kipyatkov, a distinguished Russian myrmecologist . Gynes (queens) and males remain unknown .