page_title: Gerontoformica
section_title: G. tendir
hierarchical_section_title: Gerontoformica / Descriptions / G. tendir
caption_attribution_description: English: Figure 9. Gerontoformica tendir (syn Sphecomyrmodes tendir) holotype JZC Bu303A photomicrographs. A. Lateral view of entire specimen, other views not possible due to severe cuticle darkening.
context_page_description: Gerontoformica is an extinct genus of stem-group ants. The genus contains thirteen described species known from Late Cretaceous fossils found in Asia and Europe. The species were described between 2004 and 2016, with a number of the species formerly being placed into the junior synonym genus Sphecomyrmodes.
context_section_description: Due to darkening of the cuticle in the holotype fossil, finer details such as ocelli location and suture structuring were undetectable.  The head has an elongated structure, being consistently taller than it is wide and the small compound eyes are placed near the midpoint between the clypeus and the rear edge.  At the back edge of the head the cuticle is raised into two small points.  In both the G. tendir workers  the middle of the clypeus is developed with a frontal lobe, and about twenty denticles are present on the front edge.  The setae of the clypeus are confined to only the middle lobe, in contrast to the other described Gerontoformica species.  The dark cuticle prevented description of the connection between head and mesosoma, but the lack of setae and smooth cuticle was observable.  There are long setae and two spurs present on the mesotibia, with one spur pectinate, while the other is simple.  The tarsomeres all have four setae near the apical ends, while the subapical tooth on each is smaller than in other species.  Overall the holotype specimen has a body length of about 6.93 mm (0.273 in).
caption: G. tendir holotype
exif: {}