Sicilian amber (Bologna coll) (Miocene of Italy)

Where: Italy (37.4° N, 15.1° E: paleocoordinates 37.1° N, 14.8° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Miocene (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)

• Some propose an Oligocene age, or Upper Miocene to perhaps Pliocene. Found in place in Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene sediments of central Sicily (Kohring & Schluter, 1989).

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; amber

Size class: mesofossils

Preservation: original chitin, amber

Collection methods: Specimens in Museo Mineralogico dell'universita degli Studi, Bologna, Italy

Primary reference: W. L. Brown and F. M. Carpenter. 1978. A restudy of two ants from the Sicilian amber. Psyche 85:417-423 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 123432: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 22.01.2012

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Coleoptera - Staphylinidae
Euconnus siculus n. sp.2 Fiori 1932 antlike stone beetle
 Hymenoptera - Apidae
Meliponorytes succini n. gen. n. sp.5 Tosi 1896 stingless bee
Meliponorytes sicula n. sp.5 Tosi 1896 stingless bee
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
"Crematogaster praecursor n. sp." = Incertogaster praecursor1, Hypopomyrmex bombiccii n. gen. n. sp.1, "Podomyrma (Acrostigma) mayri n. sp." = Podomyrma mayri1, "Aeromyrma sophiae n. sp." = Carebara sophiae1, Cataulacus planiceps n. sp.1, Cataulacus silvestrii n. sp.1, Technomyrmex deletus n. sp.1, ? Tapinoma sp.3, Tapinoma minutissimum n. sp.1, "Leptomyrmex maravignae n. sp." = Leptomyrmula maravignae1, Ponera leptocephala n. sp.1, "Gesomyrmex corniger n. sp." = Sicilomyrmex corniger1, Oecophylla sicula n. sp.1, Plagiolepis labilis n. sp.1, Ectatomma gracile n. sp.1
"Crematogaster praecursor n. sp." = Incertogaster praecursor1 Emery 1891 ant
16629
Hypopomyrmex bombiccii n. gen. n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16618
"Podomyrma (Acrostigma) mayri n. sp." = Podomyrma mayri1 Emery 1891 ant
16618 (2), 16624/5 (4), 16632
"Aeromyrma sophiae n. sp." = Carebara sophiae1 Emery 1891 ant
16622
Cataulacus planiceps n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16618
Cataulacus silvestrii n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16629
Technomyrmex deletus n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16632
? Tapinoma sp.3 Forster 1850 ant
No repository given
Tapinoma minutissimum n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16624/5
"Leptomyrmex maravignae n. sp." = Leptomyrmula maravignae1 Emery 1891 ant
16618
Ponera leptocephala n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16618
"Gesomyrmex corniger n. sp." = Sicilomyrmex corniger1 Emery 1891 ant
16624/5
Oecophylla sicula n. sp.1 Emery 1891 weaver ant
16617
Plagiolepis labilis n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16618 (4),16624/5, 16626 (2), 86 (4)
Ectatomma gracile n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16629
 Hymenoptera - Trichogrammatidae
Emeria simetitia n. gen. n. sp.4
Emeria simetitia n. gen. n. sp.4 Skalski 1988 chalcid wasp
16618/9, (Syninclusion with L. moravignae)
 Hymenoptera - Mymaridae
Mymaridae indet.3 Haliday 1833 fairyfly
No repository given