Two species of ants never spotted before in Spain discovered in Andalucía

The nearly 300 species of ants that exist on the Iberian Peninsula have two new companions thanks to the latest efforts of Joaquín L. Reyes López - a researcher at the department of botany, ecology and plant physiology of the University of Cordoba (UCO), who, after analysing different ant nests in the south of the Spanish mainland, in the provinces of Jaén, Granada and Huelva, has identified two species completely new to Spain and Portugal.

He analysed different samples by means of scanning electron microscopy - a technique with which high-definition images are obtained in several dimensions, allowing for a large number of details to be observed.

The measurement and analysis of the different parts of the bodies of these two new variants and their comparison with other ants already present in Spain is what has made identification possible. One of them, observed in Jaén and Granada, has a wider head, highly developed striae, small body and light brown colour. The other, found in the province of Huelva, including the Doñana National Park, is even smaller, with finer striations and short spines on its abdomen.

These two new species belong to the Oxyopomyrmex genus, which is very common in arid areas of the Mediterranean region. Two other species of this genus had previously been discovered in Spain.

As Reyes López said, "the study was carried out in the south of Spain, which means that it is possible that they will be discovered in other areas and that other species will also appear".

The study, published in the Insects journal, deepens "the knowledge of the diversity and geographical distribution of ants in Spain and the biology and ecology of this particular type of ant, which finds a potentially favourable habitat in the south of the country, due to its arid and semi-arid climate".