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
 Hymenoptera - Apidae
Meliponorytes sicula n. sp.5 Tosi 1896 stingless bee
Meliponorytes succini n. gen. n. sp.5 Tosi 1896 stingless bee
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Ectatomma gracile n. sp.1, Ponera leptocephala n. sp.1, Oecophylla sicula n. sp.1, Plagiolepis labilis n. sp.1, "Gesomyrmex corniger n. sp." = Sicilomyrmex corniger1, Technomyrmex deletus n. sp.1, ? Tapinoma sp.3, Tapinoma minutissimum n. sp.1, "Leptomyrmex maravignae n. sp." = Leptomyrmula maravignae1, "Aeromyrma sophiae n. sp." = Carebara sophiae1, Cataulacus planiceps n. sp.1, Cataulacus silvestrii n. sp.1, Crematogaster praecursor n. sp.1, "Podomyrma (Acrostigma) mayri n. sp." = Podomyrma mayri1, Hypopomyrmex bombiccii n. gen. n. sp.1
Ectatomma gracile n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16629
Ponera leptocephala n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16618
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)
"Gesomyrmex corniger n. sp." = Sicilomyrmex corniger1 Emery 1891 ant
16624/5
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
"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
Crematogaster praecursor n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16629
"Podomyrma (Acrostigma) mayri n. sp." = Podomyrma mayri1 Emery 1891 ant
16618 (2), 16624/5 (4), 16632
Hypopomyrmex bombiccii n. gen. n. sp.1 Emery 1891 ant
16618
 Hymenoptera - Mymaridae
Mymaridae indet.3 Haliday 1833 fairyfly
No repository given
 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)
 Coleoptera - Staphylinidae
Euconnus siculus n. sp.2 Fiori 1932 antlike stone beetle