New Ant Species Found in Sabah's Kawang Forest Reserve

New ant species discovered in Sabah reveals the untapped biodiversity of Borneo.

A new species of ant, Syscia yekzoeae, has been discovered in Sabah, Malaysia, which marks an exciting addition to the biodiversity of Borneo. The species, belonging to the genus Syscia, was discovered during fieldwork at the Kawang Forest Reserve in the southwestern Papar district last year. The new ant species has been named after Dr. Yek Sze Huei (Zoe), a senior lecturer at University Malaysia Sabah's Institute of Tropical Biology and Conservation, in recognition of her contributions to the field of ant research.

Syscia yekzoeae is an obligate predator and attacks other ant species. Queens of this species are flightless, their small, non-functional wings another notable characteristic described by the scientists. Colonies are established in soil and rotten wood, habitats typical for the Syscia genus. Two other new ant species identified within the framework of this study are Syscia sabahna and Ooceraea magna. These have also been published recently in the journal Asian Myrmecology.

sabahna, another newly discovered species, has been more widely distributed in the park. It is recorded not only from Kinabalu Park but also from Tawau Hills Park and other parts of the Crocker mountain range. Similar to Syscia yekzoeae, it also occurs on decaying wood and soil.

Dr. Yek is hopeful that more field work and further research in Sabah would lead to finding even more new species to shed light on this rich ant diversity of the region. Research support came from experts Seiki Yamane from Kagoshima University and Riou Mizuno from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, for taxonomic analysis and photography of specimens.

This discovery underlines the continuing potential for new species to be found in the biodiverse ecosystems of Borneo.