Titanomyrma
Titanomyrma is a genus of extinct giant ants which lived during the Eocene. The type species Titanomyrma gigantea and the smaller Titanomyrma simillima are known from the Eocene of Germany, while the third species, Titanomyrma lubei, is known from Wyoming, United States. The presence of Titanomyrma in North America was considered to indicate "the first reported cross-Arctic dispersal by a thermophilic insect group". However, a queen reported from upland temperate shales in British Columbia raised questions on the exact thermophilic nature of the genus. The type species of this genus, T. gigant
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- ''T. gigantea''
- ''T. simillima''
- ''T. lubei''
- Unidentified species
- Paleoecological implications
- References
- External links
Titanomyrma is a genus of extinct giant ants which lived during the Eocene. The type species Titanomyrma gigantea and the smaller Titanomyrma simillima are known from the Eocene of Germany, while the third species, Titanomyrma lubei, is known from Wyoming, United States. The presence of Titanomyrma in North America was considered to indicate "the first reported cross-Arctic dispersal by a thermophilic insect group". However, a queen reported from upland temperate shales in British Columbia raised questions on the exact thermophilic nature of the genus. The type species of this genus, T. gigantea, is the largest-known species of ant, whether fossil or extant, in the world.
==Taxonomy== thumb|Dorsal view of the Titanomyrma simillima holotype, specimen "SMFMEI01006" Archibald et al. in 2011 erected the genus Titanomyrma, described the species Titanomyrma lubei and proposed two new combinations, T. gigantea (formerly Formicium giganteum Lutz, 1986) and T. simillima (formerly Formicium simillimum Lutz, 1986). T. gigantea has been designated the type species for the genus.