The First Fossil Record of the Genus Manica Jurine, 1807 from Late Eocene Baltic Amber and Discussion of the Early Evolution of Myrmicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Dmitry Zharkov; Dmitry Dubovikoff; Evgeny Abakumov

doi:10.3390/insects14010021

The First Fossil Record of the Genus Manica Jurine, 1807 from Late Eocene Baltic Amber and Discussion of the Early Evolution of Myrmicini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Insects. 2022 Dec 24;14(1):21. doi: 10.3390/insects14010021.

Authors

Dmitry Zharkov¹, Dmitry Dubovikoff¹, Evgeny Abakumov¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Abstract

The Holarctic genus Manica Jurine, 1807 are mysterious and primitive ants from the tribe Myrmicini of the subfamily Myrmicinae. The first fossil species of this genus, †Manica andrannae Zharkov and Dubovikoff, sp. n. is described from the Baltic amber (ca. 33.9-37.8 million years ago). X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) was used to access morphological features and accurately measure the new species. A straightened and painted 3D model is also proposed as a reconstruction of the worker. The new species differs from all extant species of the genus by the propodeum with a weakly convex dorsum and short, blunt tubercles, and by more angular petiolar node. These features bring it closer to sister genus Myrmica Latreille, 1804. The phylogenetic relationships of the new species with other species of the genus are discussed. Based on the studied morphological features, the species is closest to the species Manica yessensis Azuma, 1955. The early evolution and paleobiogeography of the tribe Myrmicini are discussed. This finding confirms the origin of the genus Manica at least in the Eocene epoch.

Keywords: 3D model; Eocene Baltic amber; Formicidae; Manica; fossil ants; micro-computed tomography (µCT).

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in accordance with agreement No. 075-15-2022-322 date 22 April 2022 on providing a grant in the form of subsidies from the Federal budget of Russian Federation. The grant was provided for state support for the creation and development of a World-class Scientific Centre “Agrotechnologies for the Future”.