Gianpiero Fiorentino (Njit)
The fossil contradicts the evolutionary theory that these ants have shrunk over the years and that they have never left continental Latin America.
One fossil with 16 million years Preserved in Amber revealed a kind of ant -unknown ant, offering new clues about evolutionary history and the past distribution of these elusive insects.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B by researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), details the first fossilized member of the Basicer genre ever found in the Caribbean. The newly identified species, Dwarf Basiceroshe was an adult worker with only 5.13 mm long – Significantly smaller than its modern relatives, which can reach almost 9mm.
Known for its exceptional camouflage, modern basic ants inhabit tropical forests from Costa Rica to southern Brazil. Use hair specialized in bind to dirt to camouflage themselves in the environmentmaking the sightings rare. Find a specimen thus preserved in amber, said NJIT PhD student, Gianpiero Fiorentino, “ How to find a diamond“.
The fossil challenges previous assumptions about the geographical history of ants. So far, scientists have believed that Basicers were confined to Central and Continental South America. “A fossil like this underlines as the distribution of living species can deny the complex evolutionary history Of life on our planet, ”said author Phil Barden, associate professor of biology at NJIT.
Using high -resolution computed tomography at NJIT and Okinawa’s Science and Technology Institute, researchers rebuilt the ant in 3D, identifying shared characteristics with modern earth ants – such as land that collects earth, a propodeal thorn and a distinct trapezoidal head. Molecular dating suggests that the small size of B. ENTER Reverses the previous theories that the genus has shrunk over time; instead, the Ants almost doubled in size in the last 20 million years.
The study also indicates that the main adaptations of criticism observed today were already present during the myocene. Two layers of specialized hair have probably allowed the ant to collect soil and fallen leaves, helping its concealment of predators and prey, explains the.
Investigators believe that Basiceros has reached the Caribbean through old land bridgesbut later disappeared due to ecological changes. The diversity of predatory ants on the island that is today the Dominican Republic has fallen by the time, with more than a third of the extinct genres since amber formation.
“Your disappearance may be linked to habitat loss or competition,” Fiorentino explained. “Understanding these standards is crucial to dealing with the current biodiversity crisis.”
