Deep-Time Convergence in Rove Beetle Symbionts of Army Ants (Current Biology)

Maruyama and Parker reveal that ant-mimicking rove beetles living symbiotically with army ants evolved at least 12 times. The convergent beetle lineages share a free-living common ancestor in the Early Cretaceous. Discovery of an ancient system of complex convergence challenges the notion of evolutionary contingency over deep timescales.