Klondikia

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Klondikia
Temporal range: 49.42  Ma
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus:† Klondikia
Species:
†K. whiteae
Binomial name
†Klondikia whiteae
Dlussky & Rasnitsyn, 2002

Klondikia is an extinct hymenopteran genus in the ant family Formicidae with a single described species Klondikia whiteae. The species is solely known from the Early Eocene sediments exposed in northeast Washington state, United States. The genus is currently not placed into any ant subfamily, being treated as incertae sedis .

Contents

History and classification

Klondikia whiteae was identified from two type specimens, the holotype male, number SR 94-05-07 and paratype female, number SR 94-04-24 and both compression fossils are preserved in the Stonerose Interpretive Center paleoentomological collection. The holotype was found at the Klondike Mountain Formations UWBM site B4131, which is designated the type locality, while the paratype was from site B4599 north of Republic at Mt Elizabeth. The fossils were described by myrmecologists Gennady Dlussky and Alexandr Rasnitsyn (2002) who picked the genus name Klondikia as a reference to the Klondike Mountain Formation, and coined the specific epithet as a matronym honoring Pat White who found the holotype. [1]

Dlussky and Rasnitsyn noted in the type description that while the holotype male and paratype female were found in separate outcrops of the Klondike Mountain Formation, they felt the two shared enough similarities to be considered from the same species. [1] K. whiteae males differ from the Ypresian Green River Formations species Eoformica pinguis in notably more sclerotized reproductive stipes, while the K. whiteae female has a shorter alitrunk and differing head proportions. E. pinguis females have heads wider than long, while in K. whiteae the head is longer than wide. [1]

Distribution and paleoecology

Klondikia whiteae is known from two locations in the Eocene Okanagan Highlands, both outcrops of the Ypresian [2] Klondike Mountain Formation [3] in and north of Republic. [1] [4] The formation preserves an upland lake system surrounded by a mixed conifer–broadleaf forest with nearby volcanism. [5] The pollen flora has notable elements of birch and golden larch, and distinct trace amounts of fir, spruce, cypress, and palm. [2] Wolfe and Tanai (1987) interpreted the forest climate to have been microthermal, [6] [7] having distinct seasonal temperature swings which dipped below freezing in the winters. However further study has shown the lake system was surrounded by a warm temperate ecosystem that likely had a mesic upper microthermal to lower mesothermal climate, in which winter temperatures rarely dropped low enough for snow, and which were seasonably equitable. [2] [8] The Okanagan highlands paleoforest surrounding the lakes have been described as precursors to the modern temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of Eastern North America and Eastern Asia. Based on the fossil biotas the lakes were higher and cooler than the coeval coastal forests preserved in the Puget Group and Chuckanut Formation of Western Washington, which are described as lowland tropical forest ecosystems. Estimates of the paleoelevation range between 0.7–1.2 km (0.43–0.75 mi) higher than the coastal forests. This is consistent with the paleoelevation estimates for the lake systems, which range between 1.1–2.9 km (1,100–2,900 m), which is similar to the modern elevation 0.8 km (0.50 mi), but higher. [8]

Myrmeciites sp. Myrmeciites SR 05-03-01 01.jpg
Myrmeciites sp.

Estimates of the mean annual temperature for the Klondike Mountain Formation have been derived from climate leaf analysis multivariate program (CLAMP) analysis and leaf margin analysis (LMA) of the Republic paleoflora. The CLAMP results after multiple linear regressions for Republic gave a mean annual temperature of approximately 8.0 °C (46.4 °F), while the LMA gave 9.2 ± 2.0 °C (48.6 ± 3.6 °F). This is lower than the mean annual temperature estimates given for the coastal Puget Group, which is estimated to have been between 15–18.6 °C (59.0–65.5 °F). The bioclimatic analysis for Republic suggests mean annual precipitation amounts of 115 ± 39 cm (45 ± 15 in). [8]

Klondikia whiteae is one of four ants described from in and around Republic. [9] Two other fossils have been placed as members of the subfamily Myrmeciinae, the species Propalosoma gutierrezae [10] and one identified to the form genus Myrmeciites . The fourth species was first described as a member of the carpenter ant genus Camponotus [10] [1] [3] but was moved to the weaver ant genus Oecophylla as Oecophylla kraussei in 2017. [11] [12]

Description

The known male of Klondikia whiteae has a 4.8 mm (0.19 in) body with 2.05 mm (0.081 in) alitrunk and small petiole of subtrapizoidal outline. The antennae have filiform funiculi attached to a curved scape approximately as long as the head width. The gaster has "massive" genital stipes which sport rounded tops and a small dentical in the center. [1] Both the male and female have rather thick short legs. The female's body is slightly longer than the male's at 5.5 mm (0.22 in) with a 1.31 mm (0.052 in) alitrunk. The small petiole is similar to the male's, with a subtrapizoidal outline in side profile. The female's head is rectangular, slightly longer than wide and has rounded rear margins above the eye sockets. As with the male's antennae, the female's antennae have scapes curved in the basal area. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Prionomyrmex</i> Extinct genus of ants

Prionomyrmex is an extinct genus of bulldog ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae of the family Formicidae. It was first described by Gustav Mayr in 1868, after he collected a holotype worker of P. longiceps in Baltic amber. Three species are currently described, characterised by their long mandibles, slender bodies and large size. These ants are known from the Eocene and Late Oligocene, with fossil specimens only found around Europe. It is suggested that these ants preferred to live in jungles, with one species assumed to be an arboreal nesting species. These ants had a powerful stinger that was used to subdue prey. In 2000, it was suggested by Cesare Baroni Urbani that the living species Nothomyrmecia macrops and a species he described both belonged to Prionomyrmex, but this proposal has not been widely accepted by the entomological community. Instead, scientists still classify the two genera distinctive from each other, making Nothomyrmecia a valid genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klondike Mountain Formation</span>

The Klondike Mountain Formation is an Early Eocene (Ypresian) geological formation located in the northeast central area of Washington state. The formation, named for the type location designated in 1962, Klondike Mountain north of Republic, Washington, is composed of volcanic rocks in the upper unit and volcanics plus lacustrine (lakebed) sedimentation in which a lagerstätte with exceptionally well-preserved plant and insect fossils has been found, along with fossil epithermal hot springs.

<i>Ypresiomyrma</i> Extinct genus of ants

Ypresiomyrma is an extinct genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae that was described in 2006. There are four species described; one species is from the Isle of Fur in Denmark, two are from the McAbee Fossil Beds in British Columbia, Canada, and the fourth from the Bol’shaya Svetlovodnaya fossil site in Russia. The queens of this genus are large, the mandibles are elongated and the eyes are well developed; a stinger is also present. The behaviour of these ants would have been similar to that of extant Myrmeciinae ants, such as solitary foraging for arthropod prey and never leaving pheromone trails. The alates were poor flyers due to their size, and birds and animals most likely preyed on these ants. Ypresiomyrma is not assigned to any tribe, and is instead generally regarded as incertae sedis within Myrmeciinae. However, some authors believe Ypresiomyrma should be assigned as incertae sedis within Formicidae.

<i>Myrmeciites</i> Extinct genus of ants

Myrmeciites is an extinct form genus of bulldog ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae of the family Formicidae, which contains three described species and two fossils not placed beyond the genus level. Described in 2006 from Ypresian stage deposits, all three of the described species and one unplaced fossil are from British Columbia, Canada, while the second unplaced fossil is from Washington State, USA. These ants were large, with the largest specimens collected reaching 3 centimetres (1.2 in). The behaviour of these ants would have been similar to extant Myrmeciinae ants, such as solitary foraging, nesting either in the soil or trees, and leaving no pheromone trail to food sources. Due to the poor preservation of these ants, their phylogenetic position among Myrmeciinae is unclear, and no type species has been designated. These ants are classified as incertae sedis in Myrmeciinae, but some writers have classified it as incertae sedis within the insect order Hymenoptera. This reclassification, however, has not been accepted; instead, Myrmeciites remains in Myrmeciinae.

<i>Gesomyrmex</i> Genus of ants

Gesomyrmex is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus contains six extant species, known from the Indomalayan realm, and nine fossil species. Of the extant species, four are known only from workers and two only from females. The extinct species "G. expectans" and "G. miegi", formerly placed in the genus, were excluded by Dlussky et al.., 2009.

<i>Aphaenogaster longaeva</i> Extinct species of ant

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<i>Archimyrmex</i> Extinct genus of ants

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<i>Emplastus</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Casaleia</i> Genus of ants

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<i>Propalosoma</i> Extinct genus of insects

Propalosoma is an extinct genus of ants in the family Formicidae, containing a single species Propalosoma gutierrezae, known from the Eocene aged Klondike Mountain Formation in Washington State. The genus was originally placed in the wasp family Rhopalosomatidae, but moved to the ant subfamily Myrmeciinae by Archibald et al in 2018.

<i>Pachycondyla eocenica</i> Extinct species of ant

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<i>Pachycondyla parvula</i> Extinct species of ant

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Dolichoderus pinguis is an extinct species of formicid in the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae known from a fossil found in Asia. The species is one of a number in the genus described from fossils.

Formica biamoensis is an extinct species of formicid in the ant subfamily Formicinae known from fossils found in eastern Asia.

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Pachycondyla oligocenica is an extinct species of formicid in the ant subfamily Ponerinae known from a fossil found in eastern Asia.

Proceratium petrosum is an extinct species of formicid in the ant subfamily Proceratiinae known from a fossil found in eastern Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dlussky, G.; Rasnitsyn, A. (2002). "Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Formation Green River and some other Middle Eocene deposits of North America" (PDF). Russian Entomological Journal. 11: 411–436.
  2. 1 2 3 Moss, P. T.; Greenwood, D. R.; Archibald, S. B. (2005). "Regional and local vegetation community dynamics of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia – Washington State) from palynology". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 187–204. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..187M. doi:10.1139/E04-095.
  3. 1 2 Barden, P. (2017). "Fossil ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): ancient diversity and the rise of modern lineages". Myrmecological News. 24: 1–30.
  4. ↑ Dlussky, G.M.; Rasnitsyn, A.P.; Perfilieva, K.S. (2015). "The Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Bol'shaya Svetlovodnaya (Late Eocene of Sikhote-Alin, Russian Far East)". Caucasian Entomological Bulletin. 11 (1): 131–152. doi: 10.23885/1814-3326-2015-11-1-131-152 .
  5. ↑ Archibald, S.; Greenwood, D.; Smith, R.; Mathewes, R.; Basinger, J. (2011). "Great Canadian Lagerstätten 1. Early Eocene Lagerstätten of the Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia and Washington State)". Geoscience Canada. 38 (4): 155–164.
  6. ↑ Wolfe, J.A.; Tanai, T. (1987). "Systematics, Phylogeny, and Distribution of Acer (maples) in the Cenozoic of Western North America". Journal of the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University. Series 4, Geology and Mineralogy. 22 (1): 1–246.
  7. ↑ Wolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1987). Middle Eocene dicotyledonous plants from Republic, northeastern Washington (Report). Bulletin. Vol. 1597. United States Geological Survey. pp. 1–25. doi: 10.3133/b1597 .
  8. 1 2 3 Greenwood, D.R.; Archibald, S.B.; Mathewes, R.W; Moss, P.T. (2005). "Fossil biotas from the Okanagan Highlands, southern British Columbia and northeastern Washington State: climates and ecosystems across an Eocene landscape". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 167–185. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..167G. doi:10.1139/e04-100.
  9. ↑ Archibald, S. B.; Rasnitsyn, A.; Brothers, D.; Mathewes, R. (2018). "Modernisation of the Hymenoptera: ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies of the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands of western North America". The Canadian Entomologist. 150 (2): 205–257. doi:10.4039/tce.2017.59.
  10. 1 2 Dlussky, G. M.; Rasnitsyn, A. P. (1999). "Two new species of aculeate hymenopterans (Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Middle Eocene of the United States". Paleontological Journal. 33: 546–549.
  11. ↑ Perfilieva, K. S.; Dubovikoff, D. A.; Dlussky, G. M. (2017). "Miocene Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Crimea". Paleontological Journal. 51 (4): 391–401. doi:10.1134/S0031030117040098.
  12. ↑ Perfilieva, K. S. (2021). "Distribution and Differentiation of Fossil Oecophylla (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Species by Wing Imprints". Paleontological Journal. 55 (1): 76–89. doi:10.1134/S003103012101010X.
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