Abstract
New species of the subfamily Myrmicinae are described from the fossil volcanogenic Lake Enspel, Westerwald, Germany. This Fossil-Lagerstatte comprises lake sediments, which essentially consist of intercalated “oilshales” and volcaniclastics. The sediments were dated to be of late Oligocene age. Out of the 287 fossil ants from Enspel examined, 96.5% (n = 277) belong to the formicoid clade (Formicinae, Dolichoderinae, Myrmicinae), and only 3.5% (n = 10) to the poneroid clade (Ponerinae, Agroecomyrmecinae). The high proportion of Myrmicinae (36.6%) indicates that this subfamily was already strongly represented in Central Europe in the late Oligocene. However, it should be noted that the large number of specimens are alate reproductives. The number of workers is low: n = 19, or 6.1% of 312 specimens when 25 isolated wings are included. Ten new species, belonging to the genera Paraphaenogaster, Aphaenogaster, Goniomma and Myrmica are named. Taxonomic questions regarding the separation of the two genera Aphaenogaster and Paraphaenogaster as well as aspects of biogeography, palaeoenvironment and palaeobiology in Enspel are discussed.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
