German scientists discover 120 million year-old ant

BERLIN (Reuters) - German biologists have discovered a new species of ant they believe is the oldest on the planet, dating back around 120 million years.

Researchers from Karlsruhe's Natural History Museum found the 3-millimetre-long (0.118 inch) insect in the Amazon rainforest in 2007, and hope it will shed light on the early evolution of ants.

"It's by far the most spectacular find of my 26-year career," said museum biologist Manfred Verhaagh on Tuesday.

Scientists from Karlsruhe originally found an unidentified species of ant of a similar type in the Brazilian rainforest in 2003. However, due to an accident in the laboratory, the insect dried up, making further research impossible, Verhaagh said.

Last year a separate team from the museum's research body was in the forest investigating fungus when they stumbled upon the tiny insect, and named it "Martialis heureka".

Resembling a miniature wasp, the insect is like no other ant, and probably dates back 120 million years, making it the oldest still inhabiting the earth, Verhaagh said. The scientists used DNA samples from its front leg to establish its likely age.

The last discovery of a new ant species was in 1923, he added.

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The painting is by Laura Tasheiko

Co-operation Between Ants and Plants

As we watch the animals that depend on each other for a living, we come across many amazing instances. Animals that live together usually have many distinctive features. Their ally, highly menacing for most of the animals, may be protective to its symbiont, and even may watch over its benefits.

One good example is the pitcher plant (Nepenthes bicalcarata) that grows in the Eastern India. This plant, that is exactly in the shape of carafe, houses ant colonies in its body. It feeds on insects by seizing the ones that perch on it, captures them in, and in the end digests them. On the other hand, the guest ants have privilege for this carnivorous plant. The pitcher plant ignores the existence of ants in an incomprehensible manner.

Truly the ants and the plant have a deal with each other for their mutual benefit. The ants are under the threat of being eaten by the plant, nevertheless they have gained a home for themselves. On the other hand, the plant leaves remnants of some tissues and insects for the ants and in return, it gains the right to get protected from its enemies by the ants.

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