Scientist Believe 'Dracula Ants' Are Genetic Link to Wasps

A colony of cannibalistic ants discovered in Madagascar represents an important piece of the puzzle in understanding the evolution and behavior of one of the most successful insect species in the world, scientists report in today's Nature. The insects, dubbed "Dracula ants" by their discoverers because they suck nourishment from their own larvae, are believed to be a transitional species bridging the gap between ants and the wasps from which they evolved millions of years ago.

The Madagascar ants, belonging to the genus Adetomyrma, have just a single connection between their thorax and their abdomen instead of the two or three joints found in "modern" ant species, according to Brian Fisher of the California Academy of Sciences, who found the ant colony hidden in a rotten log. The single joint was a clear indication of the ants' link to wasps.

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--Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II