Zatania electra

Introduction

Zatania electra is an extinct ant species preserved in Dominican amber dating to approximately 15-20 million years ago . Workers measure just 2.80 mm in total length, making them among the smaller ants known from the fossil record . It belongs to the subfamily Formicinae (the formicine ants that spray formic acid for defense) and the tribe Lasiini. Workers have a distinctly longer-than-wide head that is strongly oval in shape, relatively small but convex eyes, and a dome-like propodeum (the section behind the mesosoma) . The species name 'electra' comes from the Greek word for amber, referring to its preservation in amber deposits . This is the only fossil species currently described in the genus Zatania, with living relatives found in the Greater Antilles and Central America. This species cannot be kept in captivity because it went extinct millions of years ago - only fossil specimens preserved in amber exist.