Oldest army ant found in 35-million-year-old Baltic amber

The person is Christa Lesté-Lasserre.

A block of 35 million-year-old Baltic amber has been identified as the world's oldest army ant. The insects that are now common in Africa and South America are thought to have once lived in Europe.

Christine Sosiak says they didn't think they were in Europe. It is extremely rare to find them there. This army ant is from so far back in history.

Sosiak found a specimen that appeared to be mistaken for a member of the common species of ant.

She put it under a microscope to make sure it wasn't a species that was labelled. It is something completely new and really odd.

High-resolution images and a 3D model of a well-preserved, shiny brown ant were created by Sosiak and her coworkers. Unlike most ants, this insect had no eyes, sharp pointed jaws, a single waist segment, and a large glands that would protect it from the elements.

The army ant worker is related to species found in Africa. The ancient ant probably hunted in large raiding swarms using pheromone trails and lived a nomadic life.

Sosiak thinks that the fossilised ant got lost. She lost the trail when she went too far and ended up in the tree.

The team named the insect Dissimulodorylus perseus, which means hide or hide, due to the fact that the insect's true identity has been a mystery for more than 80 years.

She says the discovery is the second confirmation of an ant fossil. A 16 million-year-old amber from the Dominican Republic contains the first species of arthropod.

She says that the Baltic army ant discovery makes sense since Europe was warm and wet during the insect's lifetime.

The army ants are an important part of the ecosystems. Even 35 million years ago, they were still an important part of the environment.

The journal is called Biology Letters.

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