It is a bright metallic blue ant, barely 2mm long. Indian researchers have discovered a new ant species from Arunachal Pradesh’s remote Siang Valley while on a survey to document a century-old scientific expedition.
The new ant has been named Paraparatrechina neela – the word “neela” derived from its unique blue coloration. This remarkable discovery comes over 121 years after the last addition was made to the Paraparatrechina genus. “We saw something sparked in the twilight, while we were exploring a tree hole about 10 feet up in a steep cattle track in the remote Yinku village one evening in the valley. With the dim light available, two insects were sucked into an aspirator. To our surprise, we later found they were ants,” shared the researchers.
Entomologists Dr Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan and Sahanashree R from Bengaluru’s Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) collaborated with Aswaj Punnath from the University of Florida to describe the remarkable new species, and published their discovery in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
TRACING A CENTURY-OLD EXPEDITION
The team had travelled to the Siang Valley in far-eastern India to re-survey its biodiversity following the century-old ‘Abhor expedition’. The historic expedition was carried out in 1911-1912 as a punitive military exercise under British rule against the indigenous people and also included some scientists to document its natural history and geography. Historic records show that they not only encountered hostile terrain, rough weather, but also resistance from local tribes. But still managed to map large parts of the valley, cataloguing every plant, frog, lizard, fish, insects, bird and mammal. Their discoveries are published in several volumes from 1912 to 1922 in the Records of the Indian Museum.
A century later, the researchers from ATREE decided to embark on a series of expeditions – ‘Siang Expedition’ — to re-survey and document this biodiversity with the fund support from the National Geographic Society through a wildlife-conservation expedition grant. The entomologists have so far discovered a new subfamily, six new genera and over 40 new species of insects.
Nestled within a Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, the valley has unparalleled diversity, much of it remains unexplored. However, the researchers expressed concerns over unprecedented risks which now threaten this richness, both cultural and ecological.
“Large-scale infrastructure projects like dams, highways and military installations, along with climate change, are rapidly altering the valley. The impact extends beyond the valley itself, as these mountains play a critical role not only in sustaining their own diverse ecosystems but also in ensuring the well-being of millions of people living downstream,” said senior fellow, Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, corresponding author of the paper.
UNRAVELING NEW MYSTERIES
With large eyes and sub-triangular head and mouth (mandible) with five teeth – the new species has now captivated the researchers with its metallic-blue body — known to be rare among insects. “While blue colour is commonly observed in a few insects like butterflies, beetles, bees and wasps, it is relatively rare in ants. Of the 16,724 known species and sub-species of ants worldwide, only a few exhibit blue coloration or iridescence. In insects, it is often produced by the arrangement of biological photonic nanostructures, which create structural colours rather than being caused by pigments. But does it help in communication, camouflage, or other ecological interactions? It will be an exciting avenue for research,” said the researchers as they look ahead.
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