In the sunbaked Australian outback, this creature—with a “slender build, spindly legs, and long, sharp mandibles”—lives deep underground. If the description of this pale, scrawny insect reminds you of a popular villain that terrorized you during your pre-teen forays into Hogwarts, you wouldn’t be too far off., a new ant species of the elusive Leptanilla genus, has been discovered in the Pilbara region of northwestern Australia.
The small, underground colonies of this species consists only of a queen and around a hundred workers. The latter are blind and have a pale, ghostly colouring. Their size? Not much larger than a grain of sand.Leptanilla swaniThe Pilbara region is known for its unique underground ecosystems. Its geological history dates back billions of years, making it one of the oldest land surfaces of the world.
Ants have an important role in the environment—they turn and aerate the soil, and, as predators, they regulate prey populations to maintain ecological balance within underground food webs.World’s first esports island gets Abu Dhabi’s billion-dollar backing
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