‘Cryptic’ mountain creature — and its ‘queen’ — discovered in Italy. See new species
When two animals look shockingly similar to one another, how do scientists tell them apart?
The short answer is that researchers need to take a look inside.
Cryptic species are animals that may appear to belong to the same species on the outside but actually have differing DNA that makes them a species of their own.
Now, genetic research has made it possible to bring more of these hidden species into the light.
Take the yellow acorn ant, for example.
Temnothorax luteus is a species of ground-nesting ant that lives in the region between Sicily and the Italian Alps, according to a study published Aug. 28 in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.
The species was described in 2014 as an ant that prefers “colder sites and higher elevations,” according to the study, but specimens were limited.
The ants were found in geographically isolated areas, suggesting they may actually belong to different species, prompting researchers to take a look at their genetics.
Researchers studied more than 200 ants that had been collected from dozens of different nests, according to the study. Then, they collected three ants of their own: a worker, a male and a queen.
When the genetics of known T. luteus were compared to these specimens, it didn’t match.
The ants were a cryptic new species.
The new species was named Temnothorax apenninicus after the Apennines Mountains where they are found, researchers said.
The ants are light brown in color with yellow appendages. The male ant is darker in color than the worker, but both have a relatively uniform appearance across their bodies, according to the study.
The queen, however, has brown and yellow bands on its abdomen which is enlarged compared to the size of its body, photos of the animal show.
“Temnothorax apenninicus appears to be a mountain species that lives preferably in meadows and open habitats,” researchers said. “Nests are built opportunistically on the ground, in rock crevices or under stones.”
They are found in areas called glacial refugium, meaning places in cold climates that were untouched by glaciers and acted as oases in places like the Alps.
The ants were found at elevations between 4,500 and 6,500 feet, both in central Italy and on “the southern edge of the Alps,” according to the study.
Researchers suspect the new species’ range extends into the French and Swiss Alps as well.
The holotype, or primary specimen, was collected from Piano Battaglia in Sicily, Italy, on the north-central side of the island.
The research team includes Sándor Csősz, Enrico Schifani, Bernhard Seifert, Antonio Alicata and Matthew M. Prebus.
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 4:48 PM with the headline "‘Cryptic’ mountain creature — and its ‘queen’ — discovered in Italy. See new species."
