Overview

• Investigator Joaquín L. Reyes López analysed ant nests in southern Iberia using scanning electron microscopy to reveal two previously undescribed species in Spain.
• One species features a head wider than its length, pronounced body striations and a light brown color, observed in the provinces of Jaén and Granada.
• The other species is smaller with subtler striations and short abdominal spines, detected in Huelva province and Doñana National Park.
• The study, published in the journal Insects, enhances understanding of ant diversity and geographic distribution in Spain’s arid and semi-arid regions.
• Reyes López notes that continued surveys across the Iberian Peninsula may uncover additional new ant species.