lay to rest in stone for 113 million years , this ancient worm is the oldest ant specimen know to scientific discipline . It ’s a Modern species that belongs to an extinct subfamily of pismire call Haidomyrmecinae – better know as perdition emmet – that only lived during the Cretaceous period when dinosaur roamed the Earth .
The fossil was excavate from the Crato Formation , a gem treasure trove of early Cretaceous fossils in northeasterly Brazil ’s Araripe Plateau .
“ Our team has light upon a newfangled fogey ant species representing the early undisputable geological phonograph record of ants , ” Anderson Lepeco , bailiwick generator from Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil , said in astatement .
CT scan reconstruction of the hell ant fossil.Image credit: Odair M. Meira
“ When I encountered this extraordinary specimen , we straightaway recognise its significance , not only as a new coinage but as potentially the determinate evidence of emmet in the Crato Formation , ” pronounce Lepeco .
incase in a block of limestone , the “ remarkably well - preserve " ant was glance over using high - resolution micro - computed tomography , a cutting - border tomography technique that ’s able to glimpse inside stone - bind specimens without put down them .
Hell ants earnedtheir fearsome namebecause of their nightmarish appearance , particularly the devil - like horns that might have been used to grip their prey . This late discovery is no different , albeit with an interesting pull .
Paleoart showing what the new species of hell ant probably looked like, featuring a goofy dinosaur.Image credit: Diego M. Matielo
Though it belonged to an ancient lineage , this hell pismire already displayed an regalia of extremely specialized feature . Unlike modern emmet , whose lower jaw swing over side - to - side like pincers , this prehistoric specie manage a jaw that extended forward , run parallel to its head , match with a facial projection that project out just in front of the eyes .
“ What make this discovery specially interesting is that it belongs to the extinct ‘ hell pismire , ’ bang for their bizarre predatory adaptations . Despite being part of an ancient ancestry , this species already expose highly specialised anatomical features , suggest unique search deportment , ” explained Lepeco .
“ Finding such an anatomically specialise emmet from 113 million years ago take exception our assumptions about how cursorily these louse develop complex version . The intricate morphology suggests that even these earliest ants had already evolve sophisticated predatory strategy importantly unlike from their forward-looking counterparts , ” he continued .
This ancient Scheol ant also hold a striking resemblance torelatives discovered in Myanmar , nearly midway around the globe . The breakthrough hints at a vast prehistoric dispersion , suggesting these unnerving emmet were fawn across theshifting continentsof the Cretaceous world .
The study is issue in the journalCurrent Biology .
