An international team of scientists has discovered a previously unknown extinct ant species preserved in amber from Africa. Using PETRA III X-ray imaging at the German Electron Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg, researchers from several European universities studied the fossil remains of 13 specimens and confirmed that they represent a new species and a new genus. The naming honors two leading research institutions, DESY and Hereon, whose support and modern imaging techniques made the finding possible. Identification relied on a combination of detailed phenotype data from high-resolution scans and recent genome insights from living ants. The team documented their discovery in a research diary of vermin.
The initial anatomical comparisons suggested a single species, aneurysm, a nearly extinct subfamily of ants previously known only from fossils, with a living representative in Sri Lanka. Yet advanced imaging clarified the genus identity. High-resolution images obtained via microcomputer tomography helped differentiate features that set the new lineage apart. Brendon Boudinot, an ant expert, notes that the distinctive waist and large, primitive mandibles resemble the ponerinae group, a dominant lineage of predatory ants.
The findings also bring male ants into focus within evolutionary research. According to Boudinot, males have long been overlooked due to their markedly different body shape from the worker ants, which are all female. This discovery prompts a reconsideration of how male-specific traits, such as jaw morphology, inform broader evolutionary patterns in ants. The study shows that male and female jaws generally follow the same developmental trajectory across most species.
Between 16 and 23 million years
Dating the amber posed challenges because the specimen comes from Africa’s only known amber deposit containing fossil organisms. Only a handful of fossil insects have been found on the continent. Although amber is valued as a jewel by local communities, its scientific importance has become clear only in the last decade, explains Vincent Perrichot from the University of Rennes.
The amber sample offers a unique glimpse into an ancient forest ecosystem in Africa. It is dated to the Early Miocene, roughly 16 to 23 million years old, Perrichot adds. The age was established indirectly by analyzing fossil palynomorphs, such as spores and pollen, trapped within the amber.
Modern ways to look into the distant past
Progress like this relies on cutting-edge technology. Precise morphological data are crucial because fossil DNA cannot be recovered. High-resolution imaging, particularly micro-computed tomography, uses X-rays to visualize internal structures in three dimensions. Jörg Hammel of Helmholtz-Zentrum explains that the ants trapped in amber are extremely small and show weak contrast with standard CT, so measurements were performed at a facility specialized in microtomography to generate a series of slice-by-slice images.
These detailed three-dimensional reconstructions allowed researchers to pinpoint the anatomy and confidently identify the new species and genus. The work showcases how modern imaging can illuminate evolutionary patterns that are invisible to traditional methods.
Reference work: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/9/796
The study represents a milestone for understanding male ants and their role in evolutionary history, and it highlights how imaging advances can reveal traits that were previously overlooked in the fossil record.
Note: The amber piece dating and the morphologic findings are part of ongoing discussions in the field and will be included in subsequent reviews and replications as more specimens are studied and imaging technology continues to advance.