'Dracula Ants' Discovered Underground in Madagascar: New Species Revealed

First Posted: Jun 24, 2015 09:24 AM EDT

Researchers have uncovered six new species of subterranean "Dracula" ants that hunt underground. The aggressive species prey on other species with their dagger-like teeth.

The ants, which belong to the genus Prionpelta, are actually tiny. In fact, the smallest of the newly described species makes a fruit fly look huge. At 1.5 mm in length and .2 mm wide, it's a barely visible fleck.

These ants actually live extremely cryptic lifestyles. Unlike ants that can be seen marching across the surface of the earth, these ants are either subterranean or live deep within leaf litter on the rainforest floor. Some never even catch a glimpse of sunlight over their entire lives.

Prionpelta are part of a larger group of ants that have been dubbed "Dracula ants." These ants are known to wound the young of the colony by drinking their blood as a means of distributing nutrients throughout the colony.

The new species are endemic to the Malagasy region. Six are from Madagascar itself and one is known from the islands of Seychelles. In fact, this latest study increases the number of species in the genus from 15 to 21, and highlights Madagascar as a major center of diversity.

The findings reveal a bit more about these strange, tiny ants that drink the blood of their young. That said, more studies need to be conducted in order to properly understand the behaviors of these ants.

The findings are published in the journal ZooKeys.

100 New Species Discovered in the Incredibly Diverse Waters of the Philippines

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

TagsAnts, Species, Insects