TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of researchers from University of Utah found 33 new species of ants in Central America and Caribbean. The half blind ant species was found in gaps between leaves and barks in the rain forest. Their size are only two millimeters in length, quite tiny.
"The new species are mostly found in the forest conservation area in Central America," said the entomologist from University of Utah, Jack Longino, on Friday August 2. The ants were seen creeping and chewing smaller insects.
According to Longino, the ants have an important role in the tropical rain forest ecosystem, especially for plants pollination.
Under the microscope, the ants look quite fierce. It looks like they have a shield on their faces with small spots on the eye lines. They also have strong and sharp jaws. "They look like small alien monsters," Longino added, as quoted by Livescience.
Some ants which are described in the research come from genus Eurhopalothrix, the type of which can be differed through the antenna on its head.
The new species which are found in Guatemala and Honduras are called Eurhopalothrix zipacna, which means an evil crocodile in Mayan era. The other species which are inhabited in Honduras and Costa Rica are called Eurhopalothrix xibalba.
So far, the scientists have already found 15,000 ant species around the world. "The total of ant species probably reach 100,000," said Longino, the ant expert who have found 131 new species of ant.
Half of the new species which has been found by Longino has been described in the Journal of Zootaxapada on June 29. The rest of the discovery will be published soon in the same journal. Longinos research shows the high diversity of ant species in tropical areas.
LIVESCIENCE | SATWIKA MOVEMENTI
