Leptanilla voldemort is a species of ant in the genus Leptanilla and was described in 2024.[1]
| Leptanilla voldemort | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Formicidae |
| Genus: | Leptanilla |
| Species: | L. voldemort
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| Binomial name | |
| Leptanilla voldemort Wong & McRae, 2024
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It was named after the Harry Potter villain, Lord Voldemort. This species was found in the Pilbara region in the Western Australian outback.[2]
This species is said to live underground and is described as having an extremely "ghostly and slender" appearance,[3] as well as having sharp mandibles. Researchers are hoping that this scientific discovery will bring to light a better understanding of subterranean ants.[2] It was described by Mark Wong.[2]
References
edit- ^ "'Villainous appearance' spurs researcher to name ant species after Harry Potter antagonist". ABC News. 15 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Wong, Mark K. L.; McRae, Jane M. (2024-04-11). "Leptanilla voldemort sp. nov., a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus Leptanilla (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian Leptanilla". ZooKeys (1197): 171–182. Bibcode:2024ZooK.1197..171W. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1197.114072. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 11033553. PMID 38651116.
- ^ "Leptanilla voldemort, a ghostly slender new ant species from the dark depths of the underground". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
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