'Vampire' ants 98 million years die hard in the amber block

Scientists discovered ancient blood-sucking ants in the amber mass in Myanmar.

The researchers found a block of amber in Myanmar, inside the body of a new blood-sucking ant that dates back 98 million years, Smithsonianhalang reported September 13. This ant species is named Linguamyrmex Vladi , in which Vladi is taken from the famous vampire Vlad III Dracula.

Unlike the normal mouth structure, Vladi has two large blades in the lower jaw. Researchers believe that when encountering prey, this ant will lift two blades and pierce through the unlucky animal.

Vladi's lower jaw has trenches like water troughs that can carry haemolymph, a liquid similar to blood in insects, into the mouth. However, this is only a hypothesis.

Determined to suck blood in the amber mass of 98 million years.(Photo: Systematic Entomology).

"When we find a new specimen with prey, we will continue to study. Maybe it's just a matter of time," said the study author, Phillip Barden at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

X-rays also show that Vladi's horns are impregnated with metal particles, which can help the horn to be strong and withstand more effects. Some beetles today also use the same method with more impregnation of iron or zinc.

Vladi can possess unique horns. However, this is not the only blood-sucking ant. Scientists discovered blood-sucking ants for the first time in the 1920s. In 1996, a Russian researcher found blood-sucking ants stuck in a block of amber.

In the past two decades, entomologists have studied five ancient blood-sucking ants. They are the most ancient ants on Earth."There is no longer petrography. But according to molecular data and DNA analysis, we estimate that these ant species began to diversify before about 20-60 million years," Barden said.

Blood-sucking ants have some similarities with ants today although they are not directly related. Ants trap jaws, a tropical ant species, can collapse the jaw within 0.5 milliseconds, 700 times faster than blinking behavior.

"I don't know if there is another ant that looks weird like these jaws ants," said entomologist Magdalena Sorger at the University of North Carolina.