 |
| Hypoponera electrocacica Fiorentino, Bouju, Sosa, Navarro & Barden, 2026 |
Abstract
Hypoponera Santschi, 1938 is a genus of ponerine ants, well known for its simplified morphology, lacking any clear autopomorphy, and its cosmopolitan distribution. Here, we describe the first Hypoponera in Dominican amber. The discovery of Hypoponera electrocacica new species confirms the long-expected presence of the genus in the Caribbean Miocene. The modern diversity of Hypoponera in the Greater Antilles now stands at five species and two putative subspecies.
Systematic paleontology
Order Hymenoptera Linnaeus, Reference Linnaeus1758
Family Formicidae Latreille, Reference Latreille1802
Subfamily Ponerinae Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, Reference Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau1835
Genus Hypoponera Santschi, Reference Santschi1938
Type species: Ponera abeillei André, 1881,
now Hypoponera abeillei (André, Reference André1881).
 |
| Photomicrographs and illustration of Hypoponera electrocacica n. sp., holotype specimen, MNHNSD FOS 18.126. (1) Head in front face view. (2) Illustration of forewing venation. (3) Body in dorsal view. (4) Body in lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm. |
Hypoponera electrocacica new species
Etymology: The specific epithet electrocacica (from the Latin electrum, meaning ‘amber,’ and the feminine form of the Taino word cacique, meaning ‘chief’) is a feminine singular adjective in the nominative case. It refers to the alate ant or queen trapped in amber.
Gianpiero Fiorentino, Valentine Bouju, Diyael Sosa, Santo Navarro and Phillip Barden. 2026. The Ant Genus Hypoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Dominican Amber. Journal of Paleontology. First View. DOI: doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2025.10213 [05 February 2026]
