Cananeuretus facts for kids

Cananeuretus is an extinct type of ant. It belongs to a special group of ants called Aneuretinae. This group lived a very long time ago. Cananeuretus is one of only two known ant groups from the Cretaceous Period that are part of the Aneuretinae subfamily.

The genus Cananeuretus has only one known species, called Cananeuretus occidentalis. Scientists found just one fossil of this ant. It was discovered in North America and dates back to the Late Cretaceous period.

Discovering Cananeuretus

Scientists found a fossil of an adult Cananeuretus ant. This main fossil is called the holotype. Its special number is "TMP 8.89.7". There is also a small part of another ant that might be the same species. Both fossils are kept at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.

The main fossil is a mostly complete female worker ant. It is perfectly preserved inside a clear, yellow piece of Canadian amber. Amber is fossilized tree resin. This special amber was found in the Foremost Formation near Grassy Lake, Alberta, Canada.

A Glimpse into the Past

Canadian amber is very old. It dates back about 79 to 78 million years ago. This time period is known as the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period. Scientists believe this amber came from ancient cypress-like trees. The resin from these trees fell into lagoons and salty marshes. These areas were once part of the Western Interior Seaway.

Two scientists, Michael S. Engel and David Grimaldi, first studied this fossil. They are paleoentomologists, meaning they study ancient insects. In 2005, they wrote about their discovery in a science journal. They named the new ant genus Cananeuretus. This name combines "Canada" (where it was found) with "Aneuretus" (a related ant genus).

The species name, occidentalis, comes from a Latin word meaning "from the west." This is because it was the first ant from the Aneuretinae group found in the Western Hemisphere from the Mesozoic Era. Cananeuretus is one of six ant species found at the Grassy Lake site. Other ants found there include Canapone dentata and Sphecomyrma canadensis.

What Cananeuretus Looked Like

Cananeuretus had some unique features:

• Mouthparts: Its mandibles (jaws) had four clear teeth. The one closest to its body was the largest.
• Eyes: Its compound eyes were small and placed low on its head. It did not have ocelli, which are simple eyes.
• Antennae: It had twelve segments on its antennae. The antennae sockets were slightly angled upwards.
• Body: The main part of its body, called the alitrunk, was long. It narrowed at the front, looking a bit like a neck. The back part of its body, the propodeum, was smooth and rounded. It had no bumps or projections.
• Legs: Its legs were thin. The front legs had a special enlarged bristle called a calcar. There were also small brushes of bristles on the inside of its lower leg parts.
• Abdomen: The gaster (the large, rear part of an ant's body) was connected to the petiole (a narrow waist segment). This connection was long and wide. The petiole had a noticeable bump in the middle. The gaster had many large bristles scattered on its top surface. A large sting was also present and extended from the tip of the gaster.