Chinese scientists have discovered a new ant fossil in a 99-million-year-old piece of Burmese amber which sheds light on complex social behaviour and early evolution of the insects.
The bizarre-looking ant has a prominent cephalic horn and oversized, scythe-like mandibles that extend above its head.
According to Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the fossil suggests that at least some of the earliest ants were solitary specialist predators.
Ants experienced their early diversification within the Cretaceous period. The success of ants is generally attributed to their remarkable social behaviour.
Recent studies have suggested that the early branching lineages of extant ants formed small colonies of subterranean or epigeic, solitary specialist predators.
Although it is difficult to draw clear conclusions about their ecology, recent discoveries from the Cretaceous suggest relatively advanced social levels, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Remarkable exceptions to this pattern are ants with bizarre mouthparts in which both female castes have modified heads and blade-like mandibles, which move uniquely in a horizontal rather than vertical plane.
The new fossil reveals proficiency for large-bodied carriage and highlights a more complex and diversified suite of ecological traits for the earliest ants, researchers said.PTI
