Leptanilla voldemort

Leptanilla voldemort
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Genus:	Leptanilla
Species:	L. voldemort
Binomial name
Leptanilla voldemort Wong & McRae, 2024

Leptanilla voldemort is a species of ant in the genus Leptanilla and was described in 2024.^[1]

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

1. "'Villainous appearance' spurs researcher to name ant species after Harry Potter antagonist". ABC News. 15 April 2024.
2. 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.
3. "Leptanilla voldemort, a ghostly slender new ant species from the dark depths of the underground". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2024-07-08.