The oldest ant ever: Hell ants unearthed 113 million years ago in Brazil | Science and Environment News
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have discovered the oldest known ant fossil in northeastern Brazil, dating back to 113 million years. This discovery, published in the journal Current Biology, shows that ants have been widely distributed and highly diversified in the early days of evolutionary history.
The ancient specimens belong to the extinct subfamily Haidomyrmecinae (commonly known as hell ants), are preserved in limestone and are known for their excellent fossil preservation. This marks the first time that hell ant was found fossilized in the rocks, as previous discoveries were preserved in amber in France and Burma.
Leading the leadership research that leads this study.
The discovery challenges previous assumptions about ant evolution and biogeography. What is even more striking in this ancient lineage is that this discovery is even more striking. Hell ants are known for their bizarre, trap-like tone printers, and the specimen shows complex anatomical features that suggest unique feeding strategies.
Using advanced micro-togramming (Micro-CT) imaging, researchers are able to capture complex 3D details of fossils. They found that the newly discovered species were closely related to the hell ants previously found in Burmese amber, emphasizing a wider and earlier distribution than previously thought.
“Although we expect to find the characteristics of hell ants, we are shocked by the complexity of their feeding devices. It shows that even these early ants have developed to advance hunting techniques with modern ants,” the researchers said.
This extraordinary fossil not only increased the known diversity of ancient ants, but also delayed the timeline of ants’ evolution, but also made millions of years of how these elastic insects adapted and flourished.
