Dolichoderus tauricus is a fossil ant species originally described by Soviet paleoentomologist Gennady M. Dlussky in 1981. The species is known from Middle Miocene deposits (approximately 15–13 million years ago) found near Kerch on the Crimean Peninsula, Russia.
Taxonomy
The species was first placed within the genus Dolichoderus (subfamily Dolichoderinae, family Formicidae). In 2017, a redescription by Perfilieva, Dubovikoff, and Dlussky, based on the holotype and a newly discovered, well-preserved winged female specimen, led to its transfer to the genus Ponerites (subfamily Ponerinae) as Ponerites tauricus (comb. nov.). As a result, Dolichoderus tauricus is now considered a junior synonym of Ponerites tauricus.
The reclassification was driven by detailed analysis of wing venation and body morphology, which revealed features more characteristic of ponerine ants than dolichoderines. The initial misplacement in Dolichoderus was attributed to the limited preservation quality of the holotype.
Etymology
The specific epithet tauricus derives from Taurica (or Tauris), the ancient Greek and Roman name for the Crimean Peninsula, referencing the type locality.
Description
The species is known only from fossil imprints of winged queens (alate females), measuring approximately 5–7 mm in total length. Key morphological features include:
- A rectangular head with large compound eyes and 12-segmented antennae.
- Forewing venation with a closed radial cell and reduced venation, lacking certain closed cells typical of modern dolichoderines.
- A scale-like petiole.
- Body coloration inferred as dark brown.
No worker caste specimens have been identified.
Fossil Record
The type locality is Malyi Kamyshlak, near Kerch, Crimea (PIN collection 287), from the Argun Formation. The fossils are preserved as compression-imprints in marine and coastal sedimentary layers from the Tarkhanian regional stage of the Middle Miocene. The deposits indicate a warm, subtropical environment associated with the Eastern Paratethys basin.
The holotype (specimen PIN 287/343) is housed in the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
Paleobiology
The Middle Miocene environment of the Crimean region is reconstructed as humid subtropical forest with mixed mesophytic woodlands, consistent with the global Miocene Climatic Optimum. As a ponerine ant, Ponerites tauricus likely occupied leaf litter or low vegetation and was probably a predatory forager.
References
- Dlussky, G. M. (1981). "Miocene ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of the USSR." Tr. Paleontol. Inst. Akad. Nauk SSSR 183: 64–83.
- Perfilieva, K. S., Dubovikoff, D. A., & Dlussky, G. M. (2017). "Miocene ants from Crimea." Paleontological Journal.
- ITIS Report: Dolichoderus tauricus (TSN 574874).
- GBIF: Dolichoderus tauricus (species ID 5034884).
