Paraparatrechina neela

Paraparatrechina neela is a species of small ants in the subfamily Formicinae and the genus Paraparatrechina. The newly discovered species of genus Paraparatrechina is reported from India. It is a small ant having a total length of the body is less than 2 mm (0.079 in). Its body is predominantly metallic blue in color, except for the antennae, mandibles, eyes, and legs. Hence it is known as the blue ant.[1]

Paraparatrechina neela
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Formicinae
Genus: Paraparatrechina
Species:
P. neela
Binomial name
Paraparatrechina neela
Sahanashree, Punnath & Priyadarsanan, 2024

P. neela worker ant specimens were collected from a secondary forest at an elevation of 803 m (2,635 ft) in Yingku village, East Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh.[2]

Etimology

The specific epithet of the species, neela is a noun in apposition, signifying the color blue in most Indian languages. It is used to describe the unique blue or sapphire color of this species.

In India only one species of the genus Paraparatrechina is reported. The earlier species reported in India is P. aseta which is recorded in the year 1902.[3]

References
  1. Anderson, Natali (6 June 2024). "Entomologists Discover Metallic-Blue Colored Ant Species in India". Sci.News. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  2. Sahanashree, Ramakrishnaiah; Punnath, Aswaj; Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan (2024). "A remarkable new species of Paraparatrechina Donisthorpe (1947) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae) from the Eastern Himalayas, India". ZooKeys (1203): 159–172. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168. PMC 11161688. PMID 38855795.
  3. Forel A (1902) Variétés myrmécologiques. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 46: 284–296.


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