A 16 million-year-old ant preserved in amber has provided scientists with a rare glimpse into the evolution of one of nature’s most elusive insects. The ancient “dirt ant,” named Basiceros enana, was found frozen in time in amber from the Dominican Republic and is helping researchers uncover new secrets about its camouflage abilities.
The newly discovered species was previously thought to exist only in rainforests from Costa Rica to Southern Brazil. However, the fossil shows that these ants were once larger, with some individuals measuring up to 5.13 mm long – nearly half the size of their modern relatives.
According to lead researcher Gianpiero Fiorentino, the ancient ant’s ability to camouflage itself with soil particles using specialized body hairs was a key feature. The discovery challenges previous theories that suggested these ants were originally large and got smaller over time.
The research team used advanced 3D imaging technology to analyze the fossil and found that it had many features similar to modern dirt ants, including distinctive mandibles with 12 triangular teeth for catching prey.
Dr. Phil Barden, associate professor of biology at NJIT, believes that changing environments likely played a role in the disappearance of these insects from the Caribbean. The discovery is part of a larger puzzle that will help researchers understand why some groups of organisms undergo extinction and others stick around for millions of years.
With over a third of ant species thought to have gone extinct in what is now the Dominican Republic since this amber formed, understanding what has driven this pattern of local extinction is crucial to mitigating modern human-driven extinction and protecting biodiversity.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/prehistoric-ant-reveals-caribbeans-vanished-species/story?id=120920046