The original title of this article by Daniel Graham (Discover Wildlife, BBC Discover Magazine) is “’It’s like finding a diamond’: 16-million-year-old animal found encased in amber on Caribbean island.” Graham writes that “the remarkable discovery offers fresh insights into the history of one of the world’s most elusive animal groups, say scientists.” Here are the excerpts:
Scientists who found an ancient insect enveloped in 16-million-year-old amber in the Dominican Republic say it is the first-ever fossil of a dirt ant (a group of ants) from the Caribbean. Thelong-extinct species, named Basiceros enana, measures just over 5 millimetres in length, making it considerably smaller than its closest living ant relatives, which can grow up to 9 millimetres. Yet despite its diminutive size, the specimen – perfectly preserved in the fossilised tree resin – holds a wealth of intriguing information.
The researchers, who published their findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, say the discovery offers direct evidence that the enigmatic dirt ant group once inhabited the Caribbean islands before going locally extinct 23 to 5.3 million years ago. [. . .]
Dirt ant: a hidden group
Dirt ants, or Basiceros, are a group of ants known for their incredible camouflage abilities. Their bodies are covered in specially adapted hairs that trap particles of soil and leaf litter, allowing them to blend seamlessly into their surroundings.
Modern-day species are extremely difficult to find, often going unnoticed by both scientists and predators. So, discovering one preserved in amber is both rare and exciting, says Gianpiero Fiorentino, co-author of the study and a PhD candidate at the New Jersey Institute of Technology‘s (NJIT) Barden Lab. “It’s like finding a diamond,” says Fiorentino. “This fossil is singularly distinct from all its modern relatives and reshapes the evolutionary history of Basiceros.” [. . .]
“The presence of Basiceros in Dominican amber suggests ancient land bridges may have provided pathways for these ants to traverse from the mainland to the Caribbean,” Barden says. “This fossil is a piece of a larger puzzle that will help us understand why some groups of organisms undergo extinction and others stick it out for millions of years.” [. . .]
For full article and additional links, go to https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/insects-invertebrates/basiceros-enana-amber-caribbean
The original title of this article by Daniel Graham (Discover Wildlife, BBC Discover Magazine) is “’It’s like finding a diamond’: 16-million-year-old animal found encased in amber on Caribbean island.” Graham writes that “the remarkable discovery offers fresh insights into the history of one of the world’s most elusive animal groups, say scientists.” Here are the
