Cananeuretus occidentalis

Cananeuretus is an extinct genus of ant in the Formicidae subfamily Aneuretinae, and is one of two Cretaceous genera of the subfamily. The genus contains a single described species Cananeuretus occidentalis and is known from one Late Cretaceous fossil which has been found in North America.

Cananeuretus is known from an adult fossil, the holotype, specimen number "TMP 8.89.7", and an additional partial worker tentatively assigned to the species. At the time of description, both specimens were residing in the paleontology collections housed at the Royal Tyrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta. The holotype specimen is composed of a mostly complete worker caste adult female which has been preserved as an inclusion in a transparent chunk of clear yellow Canadian amber. The amber specimen was recovered from deposits of the Foremost Formation near Grassy Lake, Alberta, Canada. Canadian amber has been dated to an age of approximately 79–78 million years old, placing it in the Campanian of the Late Cretaceous. Analysis of the amber composition indicates it originated as cupressaceous resins which were deposited in lagoons and salt water marshes along the Western Interior Seaway.

The fossil was first studied by paleoentomologists Michael Engel and David Grimaldi, both of the American Museum of Natural History. Engel and Grimaldi's 2005 type description of the new genus and species was published in the journal American Museum Novitates. The genus name Cananeuretus was coined as a combination of the genus name "Aneuretus" which is the type genus of the subfamily Aneuretinae, and Canada, in recognition of the country of origin. The specific epithet occidentalis was based from the Latin word meaning from the west, a reference the genus being the first Mesozoic aneuretine found in the Western Hemisphere.Cananeuretus is one of six ant species described from the Grassy Lake site, the others being Canapone dentata, Chronomyrmex medicinehatensis, Eotapinoma macalpini, Haidoterminus cippus, and Sphecomyrma canadensis.