A new species of ant has been discovered in the Philippines.
The National Museum of the Philippines shared the development through a Facebook post on Friday.
According to the museum, the new ant species was named Strumigenys silangan, as all specimens were collected in the eastern parts of the Philippines.
The museum noted that Strumigenys silangan is notable for its appearance, as it has four segments on its antennae and a smooth first belly plate.
‘This makes Strumigenys silangan one of the 13 out of 882 known species of Strumigenys ants around the world that have four-segmented antennae,’ it said.
The new species is a mix of S. emmae – ants with spoon-shaped or round hairs on their heads – and S. eurycera – ants with simple hairs, a very flat back part of the body (called the propodeum), and lined textures on their first belly plate.
‘[Strumigenys silangan] has simple hairs like one group but a gently sloping body shape and a smooth belly plate like the other,’ the National Museum noted.
The new ant species was discovered by the National Museum’s research associate Dr. David M. General and Dr. Gary Alpert of Northern Arizona University.
General and Alpert’s study was published in Breviora, the scientific journal of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.