India, Feb. 5 -- In a significant addition to Assam's biodiversity records, researchers have discovered a new species of spiny ant in the Garbhanga Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati - highlighting the ecological value of urban forest fragments.

The species, Polyrhachis garbhangaensis sp. nov., has been named after its place of discovery and is proposed to be known as the "Assamese Spiny Ant." The study has been published in Asian Myrmecology (2026).

The team behind the discovery includes:

Ankita Sharma - Animal Behaviour and Cognition Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru Paul Antony Mangaly - NIAS, Bengaluru Suraj Kumar Singha Deo - NIAS, Bengaluru Sangavi D - NIAS, Bengaluru Anindya Sinha - NIA...