Newly discovered ant species named after Harry Potter's villain

Leptanilla voldemort was described in the journal Zookeys. Members of the new species are primarily distinguished by their slim and pale bodies with sharp mandibles. Initial findings from University of Western Australia researchers also indicate that these insects prefer to live in darkness.

"Leptanilla voldemort is almost surely a predator, a fearsome hunter in the dark. This is backed up by what we know from the few observations of specialised hunting behaviours in other Leptanilla ant species, where the tiny workers use their sharp jaws and powerful stings to immobilise soil-dwelling centipedes much larger than them before carrying their larvae over to feed on the carcass," said Dr Mark Wong, the lead author of the study describing the new species.

So far, only two specimens of Leptanilla voldemort have been found. They were discovered accidentally during ecological studies aimed at documenting underground animals in the dry Pilbara region of northwestern Australia. However, the scientists are not discouraged by this, as previously known species from the Leptanilla family also prefer a secretive way of life.

“Unlike most ants, Leptanilla species live in small colonies, usually consisting of a queen and only about a hundred workers, and they nest and forage exclusively underground,” Dr. Wong explains.

Although Australia has one of the highest levels of ant diversity in the world (estimates range from 1,300 to over 5,000 species), Leptanilla voldemort is the second Leptanilla family species discovered on the continent. The first was Leptanilla swani, which was detailed in 1932.

"Adapted to life in darkness, Leptanilla workers are blind, lack pigmentation, and measure from about 1 to 2 millimetres. Barely larger than a grain of sand, they can move effortlessly through the soil," explain the scientists quoted by Zookeys.