Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of the oldest-known ant, Vulcanidris cratensis, which lived about 113 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The species is part of a lineage called hell ants and was preserved in limestone found in northeastern Brazil.
The medium-sized ant, measuring around half an inch long, had highly specialized jaws that enabled it to pin down or impale prey. It also had wings and a well-developed stinger like a wasp, but its mandibles moved up and down instead of side to side like modern ants.
Vulcanidris is approximately 13 million years older than the previous oldest-known ant species found in France and Myanmar. The discovery supports an earlier age for the origins of ants, with molecular estimates suggesting they evolved between 168-120 million years ago.
Ants are believed to have evolved from wasps and their closest living relatives are wasps and bees. Vulcanidris inhabited an ecosystem teeming with life, including dinosaurs, birds, reptiles, and other insects. The ant’s predators may have included frogs, birds, spiders, and larger insects.
The study’s lead author, entomologist Anderson Lepeco, notes that ants play a significant role in ecosystems worldwide, controlling populations of other organisms and interacting with specific plants and insects.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/science/oldest-known-ant-preserved-113-million-year-old-brazilian-fossil-2025-04-25