“Ant from Mars” found in Amazon rainforest – Telegraph

Scientists have found a new species of blind, subterranean, predatory ant in the Amazon rainforest that is likely a descendant of the very first ants to evolve.

The oldest living lineage of ants is unveiled today by a team at the University of Texas at Austin, including Christian Rabeling, Jeremy Brown and Manfred Verhaagh.

The new ant is named Martialis heureka, which translates roughly to “ant from Mars,” because the ant has a combination of characteristics never before recorded.

‘Ant from Mars’ found in Amazon rainforest – Telegraph