List of prehistoric insects
Eocene
Table:
Name	Authors	Unit	Location	Notes

Agroecomyrmex	Wheeler , 1910	Baltic amber	Europe	An agroecomyrmecin ant

Agulla protomaculata	Engel , 2011	Green River Formation	USA	A snake fly

Ainigmapsychops	Makarkin & Archibald , 2014	Klondike Mountain Formation	USA	A possible psychopsid lacewing

Allorapisma	Makarkin & Archibald , 2009	Klondike Mountain Formation	USA	An Ithonidae moth lacewing

Anonychomyrma constricta	( Mayr , 1868 )	Baltic amber	Europe	A dolichoderin ant

Anonychomyrma geinitzi	( Mayr , 1868 )	Baltic amber	Europe	A dolichoderin ant

Anonychomyrma samlandica	( Wheeler , 1915 )	Baltic amber	Europe	A dolichoderin ant

Anthidium exhumatum	Cockerell , 1906	Florissant Formation	USA	A mason bee

Anthidium scudderi	Cockerell , 1906	Florissant Formation	USA	A mason bee

Aphaenogaster donisthorpei	Carpenter , 1930	Florissant Formation	USA	A myrmicin ant

Aphaenogaster mayri	Carpenter , 1930	Florissant Formation	USA	A myrmicin ant

Aphaenogaster mersa	Wheeler , 1915	Baltic amber	Europe	A myrmicin ant

Aphaenogaster oligocenica	Wheeler , 1915	Baltic amber	Europe	A myrmicin ant

Aphaenogaster sommerfeldti	Mayr , 1868	Baltic amber	Europe	A myrmicin ant

Archiinocellia	Handlirsch , 1910	Horsefly beds	Canada	A snake fly

Archimyrmex	Cockerell , 1923	Green River Formation , Messel Pit , & Ventana Formation	Europe USA , Argentina	A myrmeciine ant genus , four species described

Archiponera	Carpenter , 1930	Florissant Formation	USA	A ponerine ant

Arostropsis	Yunakov & Kirejtshuk , 2011	Baltic Amber	Europe	A broad nosed weevil

Asymphylomyrmex	Wheeler , 1915	Baltic Amber	Europe	A dolichoderine ant

Avitomyrmex	Archibald , Cover , & Moreau , 2006	McAbee Fossil Beds	Canada	A bulldog ant genus ; three species known

From the table plus the relevant paragraphs provided.

Give the answer to the question: What location can the extinct species in the raphidiid genus Agulla be found ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Agroecomyrmex is an extinct genus of ants in the formicid subfamily Agroecomyrmecinae , for which it is the type genus . The genus contains a single described species , Agroecomyrmex duisburgi . Agroecomyrmex is known from a group of Middle Eocene fossils which were found in Europe .
William Morton Wheeler ( March 19 , 1865 - April 19 , 1937 ) was an American entomologist , myrmecologist and Harvard professor .
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber , called Baltic amber or succinite . It dates from 44 million years ago ( during the Eocene epoch ) . It has been estimated that these forests created more than 100,000 tons of amber . Today , more than 90% of the world 's amber comes from Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia . It is a major source of income for the region ; the local Kaliningrad Amber Combine extracted 250 tonnes of it in 2014 , 400 tonnes in 2015 . Baltic amber was formerly thought to include amber from the Bitterfeld brown coal mines in Saxony ( Eastern Germany ) . Bitterfeld amber was previously believed to be only 20-22 million years old ( Miocene ) , but a comparison of the animal inclusions in 2003 suggested that it was possibly Baltic amber that was redeposited in a Miocene deposit . Further study of insect taxa in the ambers has shown Bitterfeld amber to be from the same forest as the Baltic amber forest , but separately deposited from a more southerly section , in a similar manner as Rovno amber . Other sources of Baltic amber have been listed as coming from Poland and Russia . Because Baltic amber contains from 3 to 8% succinic acid , it is also termed succinite .
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere . It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north , the Atlantic Ocean to the west , the Mediterranean Sea to the south , and Asia to the east . The eastern border comprises a long and mixed line of mountain ranges and waterways that would normally define a subcontinent . However , Europe is generally accorded the status of a full continent because of its great physical size and the weight of history and tradition . It is the 6th largest continent in the world . Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains , the Ural River , the Caspian and Black Seas and the waterways of the Turkish Straits . Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres ( 3,930,000 sq mi ) , or 2% of the Earth 's surface ( 6.8% of land area ) . Politically , Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which Russia is the largest and most populous , spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population . Europe had a total population of about 741 million ( about 11% of the world population ) as of 2018 [ update ] . The European climate is largely affected by warm Atlantic currents that temper winters and summers on much of the continent , even at latitudes along which the climate in Asia and North America is severe . Further from the sea , seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast . Europe , in particular ancient Greece and ancient Rome , was the birthplace of Western civilisation .
Agroecomyrmecinae is a subfamily of ants containing two extant and two fossil genera . The subfamily was originally classified in 1930 by Carpenter as Agroecomyrmecini , a Myrmicinae tribe . Bolton raised the tribe to subfamily status in 2003 , suggesting that Agroecomyrmecinae might be the sister taxon to Myrmicinae . It has since been discovered to be one of the earliest lineages of ants , a clade from the basal polytomy for all ants . In 2014 , the subfamily was expanded to two tribes . The tribe Ankylomyrmini was moved from the subfamily Myrmicinae to Agroemyrmecinae .
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and , along with the related wasps and bees , belong to the order Hymenoptera . Ants appear suddenly across the globe during the earliest part of the Late Cretaceous , but are already considerably diversified by this time , suggesting an earlier origin . Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period , and diversified after the rise of flowering plants . More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified . They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists . Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals . Larger colonies consist of various castes of sterile , wingless females , most of which are workers ( ergates ) , as well as soldiers ( dinergates ) and other specialised groups . Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called drones ( aner ) and one or more fertile females called queens ( gynes ) . The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity , collectively working together to support the colony .
Agulla protomaculata is an extinct species of snakefly in the raphidiid genus Agulla . The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene , Lutetian stage , Parachute Member , part of the Green River Formation , in the Piceance Creek Basin and Uinta Basin , Garfield County , northwestern Colorado , USA .
The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the present-day Green River in Colorado , Wyoming , and Utah . The sediments are deposited in very fine layers , a dark layer during the growing season and a light-hue inorganic layer in the dry season . Each pair of layers is called a varve and represents one year . The sediments of the Green River Formation present a continuous record of six million years . The mean thickness of a varve here is 0.18 mm , with a minimum thickness of 0.014 mm and maximum of 9.8 mm . The sedimentary layers were formed in a large area named for the Green River , a tributary of the Colorado River . The three separate basins lie around the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah :
The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
Snakeflies are a group of predatory insects comprising the order Raphidioptera with two extant families : Raphidiidae and Inocelliidae , consisting of roughly 260 species . In the past , the group had a much wider distribution than it does now ; snakeflies are found in temperate regions worldwide but are absent from the tropics and the southern hemisphere . They are a relict group and have been considered living fossils , as species from the early Jurassic period ( 140 million years ago ) closely resemble modern-day species . An adult snakefly resembles a lacewing in appearance but has a notably elongated thorax which , together with the mobile head , gives the group their common name . The body is long and slender and the two pairs of long , membranous wings are prominently veined . Females have a large and sturdy ovipositor which is used to deposit eggs in some concealed location . They are holometabolous insects with a four-stage life cycle consisting of eggs , larvae , pupae and adults . In most species , the larvae develop under the bark of trees . They may take several years before they undergo metamorphosis , requiring a period of chilling before pupation takes place . Both adults and larvae are predators of soft-bodied arthropods .
Ainigmapsychops is an extinct genus of lacewing in the silky lacewing family Psychopsidae . The genus is solely known from an Eocene fossil found in North America . At the time of its description the new genus was composed of a single species , Ainigmapsychops inexspectatus .
The Klondike Mountain Formation is an early Eocene geological formation located in the northeast central area of Washington State . The formation , named for the type location designated in 1962 , Klondike Mountain north of Republic , Washington , is composed of volcanic rocks in the upper unit and volcanics plus lacustrine ( lakebed ) sedimentation in which a lagerstätte with exceptionally well-preserved plant and insect fossils has been found , along with fossil epithermal hot springs . The formation is the youngest in a group of formations which belong to the Challis Sequence rocks . The formation unconformably overlies rocks of the Eocene Sanpoil Volcanics and much older Triassic and Permian formations . The formation is bounded on its edges by a series of high-angle strike slip faults , which have contained the Klondike Mountain Formation in a series of graben structures , such as the Republic Graben .
Psychopsidae is a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera . They are commonly called silky lacewings . The silky lacewings are distinguishable in their adult stage by their spectacularly patterned and pubescent wings , broad wing shape , dense venation , and the presence of a vena triplica ( the apical fusion of three veins in the hindwing ) .
Allorapisma is an extinct genus of lacewing in the moth lacewings family Ithonidae . The genus is solely known from two Eocene fossils found in North America . At the time of description the genus was composed of a single species , Allorapisma chuorum .
Ithonidae , commonly called moth lacewings and giant lacewings , is a small family of winged insects of the insect order Neuroptera . The family contains a total of ten living genera , and twelve extinct genera described from fossils . The modern Ithonids have a notably disjunct distribution , while the extinct genera had a more global range . The family is considered one of the most primitive living neuropteran families . Ithonids may be phytophagous . The family has been expanded twice , first to include the genus Rapisma , formerly placed in the monotypic family Rapismatidae , and then in 2010 to include the genera that had been placed into the family Polystoechotidae . Both Rapismatidae and Polystoechotidae have been shown to nest into Ithonidae .
Yantaromyrmex is an extinct genus of ants first described in 2013 . Members of this genus are in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae , known from Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene fossils found in Europe . The genus currently contains five described species , Y. constrictus , Y. geinitzi , Y. intermedius , Y. mayrianum and Y. samlandicus . The first specimens were collected in 1868 and studied by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr , who originally placed the fossils in other ant genera until the fossils were reviewed and subsequently placed into their own genus . These ants are small , measuring from 4 to 6 mm ( 0.16 to 0.24 in ) in length and can be characterized by their trapezoidal shaped head-capsules and oval compound eyes that are located slightly to the rear of the capsules midpoint , with no known ocelli present .
Gustav L. Mayr ( 12 October 1830 in Vienna - 14 July 1908 in Vienna ) was an Austrian entomologist and professor in Budapest and Vienna . He specialised in Hymenoptera , being particularly known for his studies of Formicidae . In 1868 , he was the first to describe the Argentine ant . He is credited with naming the harvesting ant species , Aphaenogaster treatae , for naturalist Mary Davis Treat in honor of her research on the species .
Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants , which includes species such as the Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile ) , the erratic ant , the odorous house ant , and the cone ant . The subfamily presents a great diversity of species throughout the world , distributed in different biogeographic regions , from the Palearctic , Nearctic , Afrotropical region and Malaysia , to the Middle East , Australian , and Neotropical regions . This subfamily is distinguished by having a single petiole ( no post-petiole ) and a slit-like orifice , from which chemical compounds are released . Dolichoderine ants do not possess a sting , unlike ants in some other subfamilies , such as Ponerinae and Myrmicinae , instead relying on the chemical defensive compounds produced from the anal gland . Of the compounds produced by dolichoderine ants , several terpenoids were identified including the previously unknown iridomyrmecin , isoiridomyrmecin , and iridodial . Such compounds are responsible for the smell given off by ants of this subfamily when crushed or disturbed . [ citation needed ]
Yantaromyrmex is an extinct genus of ants first described in 2013 . Members of this genus are in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae , known from Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene fossils found in Europe . The genus currently contains five described species , Y. constrictus , Y. geinitzi , Y. intermedius , Y. mayrianum and Y. samlandicus . The first specimens were collected in 1868 and studied by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr , who originally placed the fossils in other ant genera until the fossils were reviewed and subsequently placed into their own genus . These ants are small , measuring from 4 to 6 mm ( 0.16 to 0.24 in ) in length and can be characterized by their trapezoidal shaped head-capsules and oval compound eyes that are located slightly to the rear of the capsules midpoint , with no known ocelli present .
Yantaromyrmex is an extinct genus of ants first described in 2013 . Members of this genus are in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicidae , known from Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene fossils found in Europe . The genus currently contains five described species , Y. constrictus , Y. geinitzi , Y. intermedius , Y. mayrianum and Y. samlandicus . The first specimens were collected in 1868 and studied by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr , who originally placed the fossils in other ant genera until the fossils were reviewed and subsequently placed into their own genus . These ants are small , measuring from 4 to 6 mm ( 0.16 to 0.24 in ) in length and can be characterized by their trapezoidal shaped head-capsules and oval compound eyes that are located slightly to the rear of the capsules midpoint , with no known ocelli present .
Anthidium exhumatum is an extinct species of mason bee in the Megachilidae genus Anthidium . The species is solely known from the late Eocene , Chadronian stage , Florissant Formation deposits in Florissant , Colorado , USA . Anthidium exhumatum is one of only four extinct species of mason bees known from the fossil record , and with Anthidium scudderi , one of two species from the Florissant Formation .
Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell ( 1866-1948 ) was an American zoologist , born at Norwood , England , and brother of Sydney Cockerell . He was educated at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School , and then studied botany in the field in Colorado in 1887-90 . Subsequently , he became a taxonomist and published numerous papers on the Hymenoptera , Hemiptera , and Mollusca , as well as publications on paleontology and evolution .
The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is a national monument located in Teller County , Colorado . The location is famous for the abundant and exceptionally preserved insect and plant fossils that are found in the mudstones and shales of the Florissant Formation . Based on argon radiometric dating , the formation is Eocene ( approximately 34 million years old ) in age and has been interpreted as a lake environment . The fossils have been preserved because of the interaction of the volcanic ash from the nearby Thirtynine Mile volcanic field with diatoms in the lake , causing an diatom bloom . As the diatoms fell to the bottom of the lake , any plants or animals that had recently died were preserved by the diatom falls . Fine layers of clays and muds interspersed with layers of ash form paper shales holding beautifully-preserved fossils .
Unlike honey bees ( Apis ) or bumblebees , Osmia species are solitary ; every female is fertile and makes her own nest , and no worker bees for these species exist .
Anthidium scudderi is an extinct species of mason bee in the Megachilidae genus Anthidium . The species is solely known from the late Eocene , Chadronian stage , Florissant Formation deposits in Florissant , Colorado , USA . Anthidium scudderi is one of only four extinct species of mason bees known from the fossil record , and with Anthidium exhumatum , one of two species from the Florissant Formation .
Aphaenogaster donisthorpei is an extinct species of ant in formicid subfamily Myrmicinae known from a Late Eocene fossil from North America . A. donisthorpei was one of two Aphaenogaster species described in the 1930 paper .
Frank Morton Carpenter ( September 6 , 1902 - January 18 , 1994 ) received his PhD from Harvard University , and was curator of fossil insects at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology for 60 years . He studied the Permian fossil insects of Elmo , Kansas , and compared the North American fossil insect fauna with Paleozoic taxa known from elsewhere in the world . A careful and methodical worker , he used venation and mouthparts to determine the relationships of fossil taxa , and was author of the Treatise volume on Insects . He reduced the number of extinct insect orders then described from about fifty to nine . Entomologists David Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel consider him the most influential paleoentomologist of his generation ( Grimaldi and Engel 2005 p. 143 ) . He has been memorialized frequently with patronyms , including the hanging fly Bittacus carpenteri Cheng , 1957 , the fossil parasitic wasp Carpenteriana tumida Yoshimoto , 1975 , the fossil snakefly Fibla carpenteri Engel , 1995 , the fossil ant Protrechina carpenteri Wilson , 1985 , and the caddisfly Rhyacophila carpenteri Milne , 1936 . He also taught at the Harvard Extension School .
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants , with about 140 extant genera ; their distribution is cosmopolitan . The pupae lack cocoons . Some species retain a functional sting . The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes . The nests are permanent and in soil , rotting wood , under stones , or in trees .
Aphaenogaster mayri is an extinct species of ant in formicid subfamily Myrmicinae known from a series of Late Eocene fossils found in North America . A. mayri was one of two Aphaenogaster species described in a 1930 paper by Frank M. Carpenter .
Aphaenogaster mersa is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae known from a pair of Middle Eocene fossils found in Europe . A. mersa is one of three species in the ant genus Aphaenogaster to have been noted from fossils found in Baltic amber by William Morton Wheeler .
Aphaenogaster oligocenica is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae known from a pair of Middle Eocene fossils found in Europe . A. oligocenica is one of three species in the ant genus Aphaenogaster to have been noted from fossils found in Baltic amber by William Morton Wheeler .
Aphaenogaster sommerfeldti is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae known from a group of Middle Eocene fossils found in Europe . A. sommerfeldti is one of three species in the ant genus Aphaenogaster to have been noted from fossils found in Baltic amber by William Morton Wheeler .
Archiinocellia is an extinct monotypic genus of Snakefly containing the single species Archiinocellia oligoneura . The specimen was first studied and described by the prolific paleoentomologist Anton Handlirsch from a specimen collected by Canadian geologist and paleontologist Lawrence M. Lambe during fieldwork in central British Columbia . Only a single specimen , the holotype , is known , which was collected on July 21 , 1906 from fossil bearing rocks near the Horsefly mine in Horsefly , British Columbia . The genus was named from archi referring to the primitive appearance of the wing characters and Inocellia , the type genus for Inocelliidae , the family the genus was placed in originally . The species name is a combination of oligo in reference to Oligocene , the age the location of the fossil was thought to be , and neura . The holotype consists of a superimposed partial pair of wings , one forewing and one hindwing , thus not allowing for gender identification and body description . The bases and several small areas of the apex and pterostigmal region are missing . The preserved length of 7 millimetres ( 0.28 in ) allows the estimation of a total forewing length between 12 millimetres ( 0.47 in ) and 14 millimetres ( 0.55 in ) . Though difficult to distinguish from one another , the forewing and hindwing vein structures show several distinct traits that set the genus apart from other raphidiopteran genera . Anton Handlirsch notes the damage to the pterostigma prevents determining if any cross veining is present . In a basal position from the stigma is a cross vein which does not correspond to the cross vein in the same region of modern Raphidia species . Dr. Frank M. Carpenter , after examining the holotype , noted that the fossil was poorly preserved and the placement of the wings presented difficulties .
Anton Handlirsch or Anton Peter Josef Handlirsch ( 20 January 1865 , Vienna - 28 August 1935 , Vienna ) was an Austrian entomologist . He worked on many groups including Hemiptera , Hymenoptera and Neuroptera . His most significant work was in the study of fossil insects . Anton was born to Peter ( 1831-1873 ) and Rosina Handlirsch ( born 1841 ) . His father worked as a cook of the Schwarzenberg family . His surname Handlirsch came from Czech : handlíř merchant . He went to study at the Gymnasium in Vienna in 1875 . Although he began to show an interest in zoology , his father wished that he obtain a degree in pharmacy . Anton obtained a master 's degree in pharmacy in 1885 . After working for a while as a pharmacist , Anton and his brother Adam met the entomologist Friedrich Moritz Brauer and Anton later became an assistant to him in the department of entomology of the Natural History Museum of Vienna in 1892 . In the same year he married Martha Allounek . He became the director of this department in 1922 , a function which he held until his retirement .
Canada is a country in the northern part of North America . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering 9.98 million square kilometres ( 3.85 million square miles ) , making it the world 's second-largest country by total area . Its southern border with the United States , stretching some 8,891 kilometres ( 5,525 mi ) , is the world 's longest bi-national land border . Canada 's capital is Ottawa , and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto , Montreal , and Vancouver . As a whole , Canada is sparsely populated , with most of its land area dominated by forest and tundra . Its population is highly urbanized , with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities , and 70 percent residing within 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) of the southern border . Canada 's climate varies widely across its vast area , ranging from Arctic climate in the north to hot summers in the southern regions , with four distinct seasons . Various indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years before European colonization . Beginning in the 16th century , British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast . As a consequence of various armed conflicts , France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 . In 1867 , with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation , Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces . This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom .
Archimyrmex is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Myrmeciinae , described by palaeoentomologist Theodore Cockerell in 1923 . The genus contains four described species , Archimyrmex rostratus , Archimyrmex piatnitzkyi , Archimyrmex smekali and Archimyrmex wedmannae . Archimyrmex is known from a group of Middle Eocene fossils which were found in North America , South America , and Europe . The genus was initially placed in the subfamily Ponerinae , but it was later placed in Myrmeciinae ; it is now believed to be the ancestor of the extant primitive genus Myrmecia from Australia . Despite this , Archimyrmex is not a member to any tribe and is regarded as incertae sedis within Myrmeciinae . However , some authors believe Archimyrmex should be assigned as incertae sedis within Formicidae . These ants can be characterised by their large mandibles and body length , ranging from 13.2 to 30 mm ( 0.52 to 1.18 in ) . They also have long , thin legs and an elongated mesosoma ( thorax ) and petiole .
The Messel Pit ( German : Grube Messel ) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel , ( Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg , Hesse ) about 35 km ( 22 mi ) southeast of Frankfurt am Main , Germany . Bituminous shale was mined there . Because of its abundance of fossils , it has significant geological and scientific importance . After almost becoming a landfill , strong local resistance eventually stopped these plans and the Messel Pit was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site on 9 December 1995 . Significant scientific discoveries are still being made and the site has increasingly become a tourist site as well .
Argentina ( Spanish : [ aɾxenˈtina ] ) , officially the Argentine Republic [ A ] ( Spanish : República Argentina ) , is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America . Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west , the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north , Brazil to the northeast , Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east , and the Drake Passage to the south . With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2 ( 1,073,500 sq mi ) , [ B ] Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world , the fourth largest in the Americas , the second largest in South America after Brazil , and the largest Spanish-speaking nation . The sovereign state is subdivided into twenty-three provinces ( Spanish : provincias , singular provincia ) and one autonomous city ( ciudad autónoma ) , Buenos Aires , which is the federal capital of the nation ( Spanish : Capital Federal ) as decided by Congress . The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions , but exist under a federal system . Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica , the Falkland Islands ( Spanish : Islas Malvinas ) , and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands . The earliest recorded human presence in modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period . The Inca Empire expanded to the northwest of the country in Pre-Columbian times . The country has its roots in Spanish colonization of the region during the 16th century . Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata , a Spanish overseas viceroyalty founded in 1776 . The declaration and fight for independence ( 1810-1818 ) was followed by an extended civil war that lasted until 1861 , culminating in the country 's reorganization as a federation of provinces with Buenos Aires as its capital city . The country thereafter enjoyed relative peace and stability , with several waves of European immigration , mainly Italians and Spaniards , radically reshaping its cultural and demographic outlook ; 62.5% of the population has full or partial Italian ancestry , and the Argentine culture has significant connections to the Italian culture .
Myrmeciinae is a subfamily of the Formicidae , ants once found worldwide but now restricted to Australia and New Caledonia . This subfamily is one of several ant subfamilies which possess gamergates , female worker ants which are able to mate and reproduce , thus sustaining the colony after the loss of the queen . The Myrmeciinae subfamily was formerly composed of only one genus , Myrmecia , but the subfamily was redescribed by Ward & Brady in 2003 to include two tribes and four genera : An additional three genera , one form genus , and 9 species were described in 2006 from the Early Eocene of Denmark , Canada , and Washington .
Archiponera is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Ponerinae . The genus contains a single described species , Archiponera wheeleri known from several Late Eocene fossils which were found in North America .
Ponerinae is a subfamily of ants in the Poneromorph subfamilies group , with about 1,600 species in 47 extant genera , including Dinoponera gigantea - one of the world 's largest species of ant . Mated workers have replaced the queen as the functional egg-layers in several species of ponerine ants . In such queenless species , the reproductive status of workers can only be determined through ovarian dissections . They are most easily identified from other subfamilies by a constricted gaster ( abdomen ) . They are rare examples of stinging ants .
Arostropsis is an extinct genus of broad-nosed weevil in the beetle family Curculionidae known from an Upper Eocene fossil found in Europe . The genus contains a single described species , Arostropsis groehni .
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber , called Baltic amber or succinite . It dates from 44 million years ago ( during the Eocene epoch ) . It has been estimated that these forests created more than 100,000 tons of amber . Today , more than 90% of the world 's amber comes from Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia . It is a major source of income for the region ; the local Kaliningrad Amber Combine extracted 250 tonnes of it in 2014 , 400 tonnes in 2015 . Baltic amber was formerly thought to include amber from the Bitterfeld brown coal mines in Saxony ( Eastern Germany ) . Bitterfeld amber was previously believed to be only 20-22 million years old ( Miocene ) , but a comparison of the animal inclusions in 2003 suggested that it was possibly Baltic amber that was redeposited in a Miocene deposit . Further study of insect taxa in the ambers has shown Bitterfeld amber to be from the same forest as the Baltic amber forest , but separately deposited from a more southerly section , in a similar manner as Rovno amber . Other sources of Baltic amber have been listed as coming from Poland and Russia . Because Baltic amber contains from 3 to 8% succinic acid , it is also termed succinite .
Asymphylomyrmex is an extinct genus of ants in the formicid subfamily Dolichoderinae . The genus contains a single described species , Asymphylomyrmex balticus and is known from a group of Middle Eocene fossils which were found in Europe .
Avitomyrmex is an extinct genus of bulldog ants in the subfamily Myrmeciinae which contains three described species . The genus was described in 2006 from Ypresian stage ( Early Eocene ) deposits of British Columbia , Canada . Almost all the specimens collected are queens , with an exception of a single fossilised worker . These ants are large , and the eyes are also large and well developed ; a sting is present in one species . The behaviour of these ants may have been similar to extant Myrmeciinae ants , such as foraging solitarily for arthropod prey and never leaving pheromone trails to food sources . Avitomyrmex has not been assigned to any tribe , instead generally being regarded as incertae sedis within Myrmeciinae . However , its identity as an ant has been challenged , although it is undoubtedly a hymenopteran insect .
The McAbee Fossil Beds is a Heritage Site that protects an Eocene Epoch fossil locality east of Cache Creek , British Columbia , Canada , just north of and visible from Provincial Highway 97 / the Trans-Canada Highway ( Highway 1 ) at 50°47.831′N 121°8.469′W / 50.797183°N 121.141150°W / 50.797183 ; -121.141150 . The McAbee Fossil Beds , comprising 548.23 hectares ( 1,354.7 acres ) , were officially designated a Provincial Heritage Site under British Columbia 's Heritage Conservation Act on July 19 , 2012 . The site is part of an old lake bed which was deposited about 52 million years ago and is internationally recognised for the diversity of plant , insect , and fish fossils found there . Similar fossil beds in Eocene lake sediments , also known for their well preserved plant , insect and fish fossils , are found at Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park near Smithers in northern British Columbia , on the Horsefly River near Quesnel in central British Columbia , and at Republic in Washington , United States . The Princeton Chert fossil beds in southern British Columbia are also Eocene , but primarily preserve an aquatic plant community . A recent review of the early Eocene fossil sites from the interior of British Columbia discusses the history of paleobotanical research at McAbee , the Princeton Chert , Driftwood Canyon , and related Eocene fossil sites such as at Republic .
Myrmecia is a genus of ants first established by Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804 . The genus is a member of the subfamily Myrmeciinae of the family Formicidae . Myrmecia is a large genus of ants , comprising at least 93 species that are found throughout Australia and its coastal islands , while a single species is only known from New Caledonia . One species has been introduced out of its natural distribution and was found in New Zealand in 1940 , but the ant was last seen in 1981 . These ants are commonly known as bull ants , bulldog ants or jack jumper ants , and are also associated with many other common names . They are characterized by their extreme aggressiveness , ferocity , and painful stings . Some species are known for the jumping behavior they exhibit when agitated . Species of this genus are also characterized by their elongated mandibles and large compound eyes that provide excellent vision . They vary in colour and size , ranging from 8 to 40 millimetres ( 0.31 to 1.57 in ) . Although workers and queens are hard to distinguish from each other due to their similar appearance , males are identifiable by their perceptibly smaller mandibles . Almost all Myrmecia species are monomorphic , with little variation among workers of a given species . Some queens are ergatoid and have no wings , while others have either stubby or completely developed wings .