Oecophylla praeclara

Introduction

Oecophylla praeclara is an extinct species of weaver ant known only from fossil remains dating to the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene period, roughly 30-50 million years ago. Förster described the species in 1891 from isolated forewing fossils found in the Oligocene sediments of Brunstatt, Germany (now France) . Only the queen caste has been documented from these fossil wing imprints, and researchers note it may be conspecific with other Oecophylla species known from more complete fossil specimens . As a fossil species, no living colonies exist, and biological details such as colony size, behavior, or care requirements cannot be observed or inferred from living specimens.