Post K-Pg rise in ant and termite prevalence underlies convergent dietary specialization in mammals

Ants and termites are ubiquitous members of most modern terrestrial
ecosystems. These insects act as agents of selection, driving ecological
and evolutionary shifts in disparate groups across the tree of life.
Obligate consumers of ants or termites, called myrmecophages, exhibit
morphological adaptations such as lengthened tongues and reduced teeth
that are associated with a bulk feeding strategy. Though a typifying
feature of some mammal lineages, the macroevolutionary history of obligate
myrmecophagy and its relationship to social insect evolution is unknown.
We report large-scale patterns of myrmecophagous evolution through a
synthesis of the social insect fossil record, ant and termite evolutionary
history, and mammal natural history data spanning 4,099 species.
Specialized ant and termite feeding has arisen at least 12 times in
mammals and through multiple pathways; transitions to myrmecophagy stem
from insectivorous and carnivorous ancestors. We recover one reversal out
of social insect feeding, perhaps owing to food source stability or
difficulty in regaining generalist features. Despite the contemporary
ubiquity of social insects, their history suggests a recent capacity for
specialist consumers. While both lineages originated in the Cretaceous,
rising fossil prevalence of ants and termites and their acquisition of
large colony sizes predominantly occurred in the Cenozoic.