Zigrasimecia ufv-10, 2023

Abstract, Júlio Cezar Mário Chaul, 2023, A revision of the Cretaceous ant genus Zigrasimecia Barden & Grimaldi, 2013 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: † Zigrasimeciinae), Zootaxa 5325 (3), pp. 301-341 : 330-331

Zigrasimecia ufv-10

( Fig. 19 )

The specimen has the entire cuticle wrinkled. It was originally so close to the edge of the amber piece that a few polishing and faceting was possible, so there are not too many views available and the specimen could not be fully studied. It apparently lacks any conspicuous standing pilosity on body, which excludes the possibility of it being Z. boudinoti , Z. chuyansui , Z. ferox , Z. hoelldobleri or Z. thate . The petiole in Zigrasimecia ufv-10 has a bilobed node. The specimen presents an interesting, potentially important trait, which is a visible promesonotal suture. The poor preservation conditions of the specimen, however, do not allow to exclude that some sort of folding could have resulted in a fake "promesonotal suture". If further specimens confirm the presence of a promesonotal suture in Zigrasimecia ufv-10, not only the morphospecies would be confirmed as a new species but it would also make the generic diagnosis outdated, as all Zigrasimecia workers known to date have the mesosoma fused to an almost maximum degree, without signs of a promesonotal suture whatsoever. This morphospecies was excluded from all identification keys due to uncertainty about most of its traits.

Examined material. Worker (ANTWEB1047051). Hukawng Valley, Kachin Province, Myanmar; Lower Cenomanian (ca.98.79 ± 0.62 Ma) [ JCMCC] .

Figures

FIGURE 19. Morphospecies Zigrasimecia ufv-10 (specimen ANTWEB1047051). A, anterolateral view of right side of body; B. Zoom of head and mesosoma of same view of A, black triangle indicates putative promesonotal suture. Scale bar is 0.5 mm in A and 0.2 mm in B.