| Ctenobethylus Temporal range: Baltic amber | |
|---|---|
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| †Ctenobethylus goepperti worker in amber | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Subfamily: | Dolichoderinae |
| Tribe: | Tapinomini |
| Genus: | † Ctenobethylus Brues, 1939 |
| Diversity [1] | |
| 2 species | |
| Synonyms | |
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Ctenobethylus is an extinct genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus contains two described species as of 2026, both known from Baltic amber. [2]
As of 2026, Ctenobethylus contains two valid described species, both extinct.
Ctenobethylus goepperti, one of two species of the extinct genus Ctenobethylus, is a fossil ant in the family Formicidae. The genus was established in 1939 by Charles Thomas Brues, while the species was first described in 1868 by Gustav Mayr under the name Hypoclinea goepperti. [3]
Fossils were reported from 25 collections across Europe, including Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, spanning the Priabonian of the upper Eocene to the Rupelian of the lower Oligocene (38–28.1 Ma). The species accumulated several synonyms over time, including Iridomyrmex goepperti, Liometopum goepperti, and Ctenobethylus succinalis. [4] The specific epithet honors the Prussian paleontologist Johann Heinrich Robert Göppert. [5]
In early 2026, Eldermyrmex was synonymized under Ctenobethylus, therefore inserting the species Ctenobethylus oblongiceps into the genus. [3]
Morphologically, males have a blackish-brown body with pale wings, a rounded head with prominent eyes and three ocelli, a short scape, and a 13-segmented funicle. The thorax is rounded, legs are long and brownish, and the abdomen is subspherical. Total length ranges from 3 mm (male) to 6.25 mm (wingless female). [6]
A specimen from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's amber collection was examined using synchrotron micro-computed tomography, revealing internal structures such as the tentorium and prosternum. Phylogenetic analysis suggests C. goepperti was closely related to the modern arboreal genus Liometopum and likely a dominant Eocene forest ant. [3] One fossil specimen of C. goepperti contained a preserved mesostigmatid mite attached to the head of the ant, which is perhaps the oldest known evidence of ecological association between mites and ants. [7]