A giant termite from the Late Miocene of Styria, Austria (Isoptera).
A giant termite is described and figured from the Late Miocene of the Styrian Basin in southeastern Austria. Gyatermes styriensis gen. n. et sp. n. is represented by a relatively complete forewing, with basal scale. The fossil approximates in size the largest of all termites today and is the largest fossil termite on record. The presence of this species in the Late Miocene fauna of Europe indicates that climatic conditions were appropriate for the persistence of species and colonies requiring relatively stable, warm conditions. The genus is primitive in overall features but shares some similarity with the dampwood termites.
Engel
Michael S
MS
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66049-2811, USA. msengel@ku.edu
Gross
Martin
M
D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria; D049628:Body Size; D002980:Climate; D049690:History, Ancient; D020049:Isoptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010162:Paleography; D010163:Paleontology; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology