The findings emphasize the need to understand historical extinction events to help mitigate modern biodiversity loss.

This discovery provides evidence that dirt ants once inhabited the Caribbean islands before becoming locally extinct between 23 and 5.3 million years ago.

The full study detailing this discovery was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Lead researcher Gianpiero Fiorentino likened the find to discovering a diamond due to the rarity of dirt ants in the wild and their elusive nature.

Advanced imaging techniques, including Micro-CT scanning, were utilized to analyze the fossil, revealing features similar to modern dirt ants and providing insights into their evolutionary history.

Despite their specialized adaptations, Basiceros ants disappeared likely due to environmental changes or competition from other species during the Miocene epoch.

The find challenges previous scientific beliefs about the geographical distribution of the Basiceros genus, suggesting that ancient land bridges may have allowed these ants to migrate from the mainland to the Caribbean.

Researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology have discovered a 16-million-year-old dirt ant fossil, named Basiceros enana, encased in amber in the Dominican Republic, marking the first such find in the Caribbean.

The fossil measures just over 5 millimeters in length, making it the smallest known species in the lineage, significantly smaller than modern relatives that can grow up to 9 millimeters.

Key adaptations for crypsis, such as specialized hairs for trapping soil particles, were already present in this ancient species, indicating long-standing survival strategies.

Basiceros ants, known for their camouflage abilities, were previously only found in neotropical rainforests from Costa Rica to Southern Brazil, raising questions about their historical distribution.

The fossil is notable for its exceptional preservation, allowing researchers to observe details like specialized dirt-collecting hairs on its legs and head.