Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.Under the feet of millions of New Yorkers, a species of ant — originally not found anywhere else in North America — has been thriving in the concrete jungle for more than a decade, surprising scientists with its unique aptitude to flourish in Manhattan and the city’s other boroughs. But where the insect came from and why it has acclimated so well to this urban setting remained a mystery.Now, scientists have discovered the ant’s identity and its origins, and it is a few thousand miles away from home. The globe-trotting insect is a native European species known as Lasius emarginatus, commonly observed in more natural settings in central Europe, according to new research.Researchers first spotted the insect, dubbed the “ManhattAnt,” while doing a survey on ants in New York City in 2011. To their surprise, the ant — with its black head and abdomen and a red thorax — did not match any of the nearly 800 species found in North America and the researchers speculated that it might be a European species; no further research was done to confirm the species at the time.But now, the insect has grown in numbers so that it is the second most common ant in the area, catching the attention of scientists and New Yorkers who live with the pest, said Clint Penick, an assistant professo …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.Under the feet of millions of New Yorkers, a species of ant — originally not found anywhere else in North America — has been thriving in the concrete jungle for more than a decade, surprising scientists with its unique aptitude to flourish in Manhattan and the city’s other boroughs. But where the insect came from and why it has acclimated so well to this urban setting remained a mystery.Now, scientists have discovered the ant’s identity and its origins, and it is a few thousand miles away from home. The globe-trotting insect is a native European species known as Lasius emarginatus, commonly observed in more natural settings in central Europe, according to new research.Researchers first spotted the insect, dubbed the “ManhattAnt,” while doing a survey on ants in New York City in 2011. To their surprise, the ant — with its black head and abdomen and a red thorax — did not match any of the nearly 800 species found in North America and the researchers speculated that it might be a European species; no further research was done to confirm the species at the time.But now, the insect has grown in numbers so that it is the second most common ant in the area, catching the attention of scientists and New Yorkers who live with the pest, said Clint Penick, an assistant professo …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
