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Gerontoformica

Insecta - Hymenoptera - Formicidae

Taxonomy

Gerontoformica was named by Nel and Perrault (2004).

It was assigned to Formicidae by Nel and Perrault (2004), Bolton (2012), Barden and Grimaldi (2016); to Sphecomyrmini by Borysenko (2017); and to Sphecomyrminae by Boudinot et al. (2020), Boudinot et al. (2022).

Species

G. contega, G. cretacica, G. gracilis, G. magna, G. occidentalis, G. orientalis, G. pilosa, G. priapos, G. robusta, G. rugosa, G. spiralis, G. sternorhabda, G. subcuspis, G. tendir

Entered

by M. Carrano on 2011-02-10; modified by M. Clapham on 2023-01-21

Synonyms

Gerontoformica cretacica was named by Nel and Perrault (2004). Its type specimen is MNHN ARC 203.1, an exoskeleton, and it is an inclusion in amber. Its type locality is Charentese amber, Archingeay-Les-Nouillers, subunit A1sl-A, which is in an Albian terrestrial amber in France.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Boudinot et al. (2022).
Sphecomyrmodes was named by Engel and Grimaldi (2005).

It was synonymized subjectively with Gerontoformica by Barden and Grimaldi (2016), Boudinot et al. (2022).

It was assigned to Sphecomyrminae by Engel and Grimaldi (2005); and to Sphecomyrmini by Perrichot et al. (2007), Bolton (2012).
Sphecomyrmodes orientalis was named by Engel and Grimaldi (2005). Its type specimen is AMNH Bu- 351, an exoskeleton (Head), and it is an inclusion in amber. Its type locality is Burmese amber, Kachin amber (AMNH collection), which is in a Cenomanian terrestrial amber in Myanmar.

It was recombined as Gerontoformica orientalis by Barden and Grimaldi (2016), Boudinot et al. (2020); it was considered a nomen dubium by Boudinot et al. (2022).
Sphecomyrmodes rugosus was named by Barden and Grimaldi (2014). Its type specimen is JZC Bu1648, an exoskeleton, and it is an inclusion in amber. Its type locality is Burmese amber (Zigras coll), which is in a Cenomanian terrestrial amber in Myanmar.

It was recombined as Gerontoformica rugosus by Barden and Grimaldi (2016); it was recombined as Gerontoformica rugosa by Boudinot et al. (2020); it was considered a nomen dubium by Boudinot et al. (2022).
Sphecomyrmodes tendir was named by Barden and Grimaldi (2014). Its type specimen is JZC Bu303A, an exoskeleton, and it is an inclusion in amber. Its type locality is Burmese amber (Zigras coll), which is in a Cenomanian terrestrial amber in Myanmar.

It was recombined as Gerontoformica tendir by Barden and Grimaldi (2016), Boudinot et al. (2020); it was considered a nomen dubium by Boudinot et al. (2022).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
2004	Gerontoformica Nel and Perrault p. 24
2004	Gerontoformica cretacica Nel and Perrault pp. 24-25 figs. 1-2
2005	Sphecomyrmodes Engel and Grimaldi
2005	Sphecomyrmodes orientalis Engel and Grimaldi
2007	Sphecomyrmodes Perrichot et al. p. 95
2012	Gerontoformica Bolton
2012	Gerontoformica cretacica Bolton
2012	Sphecomyrmodes Bolton
2012	Sphecomyrmodes orientalis Bolton
2014	Sphecomyrmodes rugosus Barden and Grimaldi p. 15 figs. 6A-C
2014	Sphecomyrmodes tendir Barden and Grimaldi p. 17 figs. 9A-C
2016	Gerontoformica orientalis Barden and Grimaldi
2016	Gerontoformica rugosus Barden and Grimaldi
2016	Gerontoformica tendir Barden and Grimaldi
2016	Gerontoformica Barden and Grimaldi p. 518
2017	Gerontoformica Borysenko p. 15
2020	Gerontoformica Boudinot et al. p. 29
2020	Gerontoformica cretacica Boudinot et al. p. 29
2020	Gerontoformica orientalis Boudinot et al. p. 29
2020	Gerontoformica rugosa Boudinot et al. p. 30
2020	Gerontoformica tendir Boudinot et al. p. 30
2022	Gerontoformica Boudinot et al. p. 1361

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Protostomia
—	Ecdysozoa	Aguinaldo et al. 1997
—	Panarthropoda
phylum	Arthropoda	Gravenhorst 1843
—	Deuteropoda
—	Mandibulata
—	Pancrustacea	Zrzavý and Štys 1997
—	Altocrustacea	Regier et al. 2010
superclass	Allotriocarida
—	Athalassocarida
—	Labiocarida	Schwentner et al. 2017
superclass	Hexapoda	Latreille 1825
—	Cercofilata

Rank	Name	Author
class	Insecta
—	Dicondylia
—	Paranotalia
subclass	Pterygota	()
—	Neopterygota	Crampton 1924
infraclass	Neoptera	Martynov 1923
—	Holometabola
—	Hymenopterida
order	Hymenoptera
—	Unicalcarida
suborder	Apocrita	Gerstaecker 1867
—	Aculeata	()
superfamily	Formicoidea
family	Formicidae	()
subfamily	Sphecomyrminae
genus	Gerontoformica

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. †Gerontoformica Nel and Perrault 2004

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†Gerontoformica contega Barden and Grimaldi 2014

†Gerontoformica gracilis Barden and Grimaldi 2014

†Gerontoformica magna Barden and Grimaldi 2014

†Gerontoformica occidentalis Perrichot et al. 2007

†Gerontoformica pilosa Barden and Grimaldi 2014

†Gerontoformica priapos Zhuang et al. 2025

†Gerontoformica robusta Barden and Grimaldi 2014

†Gerontoformica spiralis Barden and Grimaldi 2014

†Gerontoformica sternorhabda Boudinot et al. 2022

†Gerontoformica subcuspis Barden and Grimaldi 2014

Invalid names: Gerontoformica cretacica Nel and Perrault 2004 [nomen dubium], Gerontoformica orientalis Engel and Grimaldi 2005 [nomen dubium], Gerontoformica rugosa Barden and Grimaldi 2014 [nomen dubium], Gerontoformica tendir Barden and Grimaldi 2014 [nomen dubium], Sphecomyrmodes Engel and Grimaldi 2005 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
A. Nel and G. Perrault 2004	(worker characters): Presence of peg-like teeth on labrum and clypeus, made of large, cylindrical setae; mandibles long, strongly curved with a long apical tooth and a strong subapical tooth; masticatory margin not dentate; eyes present; geniculate antenna with twelve articles, with a long scape; propodeal lobes well developed; petiole well defined, pedunculate, with a rather large node and a strong constriction between it and gaster; a differentiated pretergite on first segment of gaster (third abdominal segment); gaster globose, without constriction between the segments; no sting; no acidopore; legs very long.

Measurements

part	N	mean
Petiole height	1	0.370

Composition:

chitinc

Environment:

terrestrialc

Locomotion:

actively mobilep

Created:

2017-04-17 09:56:18

Modified:

2017-04-17 09:56:18

Source: c = class, p = phylum

References: Kiessling 2004, Bush and Bambach 2015

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Albian to the top of the Early/Lower Cenomanian or 106.30000 to 93.90000 Ma

Collections (8 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Albian	106.3 - 100.5	France (Poitou-Charentes)	G. cretacica (99114)
Early/Lower Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	France	G. occidentalis (123118)
Early/Lower Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	Myanmar	G. gracilis (198285) G. priapos (226880) Sphecomyrmodes orientalis, G. gracilis, G. sternorhabda (111688)
Early/Lower Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	Myanmar (Kachin)	G. sp., Sphecomyrmodes contegus, Sphecomyrmodes gracilis, Sphecomyrmodes magnus, Sphecomyrmodes pilosus, Sphecomyrmodes robustus, Sphecomyrmodes rugosus, Sphecomyrmodes spiralis, Sphecomyrmodes subcuspis, Sphecomyrmodes tendir (123113) G. sternorhabda (228923)
Early/Lower Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	France (Poitou-Charentes)	Sphecomyrmodes occidentalis (161514)