Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov., a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian Leptanilla

Autor: Mark K. L. Wong, Jane M. McRae
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: ZooKeys, Vol 1197, Iss , Pp 171-182 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1313-2970
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1197.114072
Popis: The genus Leptanilla Emery, 1870 of the family Formicidae, subfamily Leptanillinae, comprises miniscule, pale, blind ants that are rarely collected and poorly understood due to their hypogaeic (i.e. underground) lifestyles. Here we describe a new Leptanilla species from two workers collected via subterranean scraping in the arid Pilbara region of Western Australia. Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov. is the second leptanilline species documented in Australia after the elusive Leptanilla swani Wheeler, 1932. Workers of L. voldemort sp. nov. display a remarkably gracile morphology characterised by elongated legs, antennae, and mandibles, and they are easily differentiated from other Leptanilla species. We also provide new measurements for L. swani from two workers found proximally to the type locality of L. voldemort sp. nov. A key to the worker caste of Leptanilla species of the Australian continent is presented.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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