Ypresiomyrma

Ypresiomyrma
Temporal range: Ypresian -Late Eocene
Ypresiomyrma rebekkae fossils
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Myrmeciinae
Tribe: incertae sedis
Genus: Ypresiomyrma
Archibald, Cover, & Moreau, 2006
Species
  • Y. bartletti Archibald, Cover, & Moreau, 2006
  • Y. orbiculata Archibald, Cover, & Moreau, 2006
  • Y. orientalis Dlussky, Rasnitsyn, & Perfilieva, 2015
  • Y. rebekkae Rust & Andersen, 1999

Ypresiomyrma is an extinct genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae that was described in 2006. There are four species described; one species is from the Isle of Fur in Denmark, two are from the McAbee Fossil Beds in British Columbia, Canada, and the fourth from the Bol’shaya Svetlovodnaya fossil site in Russia. The queens of this genus are large, the mandibles are elongated and the eyes are well developed; a stinger is also present. The behaviour of these ants would have been similar to that of extant Myrmeciinae ants, such as solitary foraging for arthropod prey and never leaving pheromone trails. The alates were poor flyers due to their size, and birds and animals most likely preyed on these ants. Ypresiomyrma is not assigned to any tribe, and is instead generally regarded as incertae sedis within Myrmeciinae. However, some authors believe Ypresiomyrma should be assigned as incertae sedis within Formicidae.