A new species, with metallic blue colour, discovered in the Siang Valley in northeastern India; no new species of the genus has been found in the country since 1902
Indian entomologists discovered it during an expedition to study biodiversity Siang Valley in Northeast Indiaa tiny new species of ant with a rare appearance: metallic blue. The discovery was revealed in research published last Thursday, 30, in the scientific journal ZooKeys,
During the expedition, while exploring the forest area, the researchers thanked the insects metallic luster Which showed: “As we explored a hole in a tree about 10 feet up a steep trail in a remote village called Yinku one night, something glowed in the twilight,” he reported. statement,
When dim light was available, two insects were sucked into the vacuum cleaner. We were surprised when we later discovered that they were ants,” he added.
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After looking at the insects in more detail, the researchers found that the colour and shape of the ants’ heads and bodies led them to conclude that it was a new species. It was called Paraparatrechina blue – “Neela” is the word for “blue” in many Indian languages.
Apart from the brilliant colour of the ants, the most surprising thing is that this is the first time since 1902 that a new species of ant of the Paraparatrechina genus has been found in India. It is noteworthy that all the species of this genus are small, the most recent species being only 2 millimetres and have large eyes. Due to these characteristics the ant is one of the most Quite a rare specimenWhich makes the discovery even more impressive.
In addition, the place where it was found has high biodiversity, according to one of the authors of the research, the valley is undergoing rapid change due to “climate change as well as large-scale infrastructure projects, such as dams, highways and military installations”. , Dharma RajamAs reported by Revista Galileo.
Now, the researchers hope to discover more about the species to understand how the species evolved such coloration. “Investigating the evolution of this showy coloration and its relationship to the height and biology of P. nila presents an exciting opportunity for research,” the team concluded in a statement.
