New ‘rodeo’ ants discovered riding other ant species near downtown in a Texas city

There’s a new species of ant in town.

Actually, there’s two.

Researchers in Texas just discovered two new species of “rodeo” ants, which cling to the backs of larger ant species with their mouths for help getting around, according to University of Texas entomologists.

Two types of these “socially parasitic” Solenopsis species were spotted riding queen ants at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, an 82-acre biological research site near downtown Austin, according to university entomology curator Alex Wild.

“No insect is more Texan than the Rodeo Ant,” Wild tweeted.

Wild found the first type of new species when he flipped over a stone in the research area, he discovered a queen ant riding the back of another queen, he told Science News.

Hopeful for more discoveries, he asked students to look for others, according to the news site. Jen Schlauch found another ant rider — though this one was different from Wild’s discovery, Science News reported.

These are the only two “rodeo” ants found so far at the research site, and there’s very little known about the new species, New Scientist reported.

Researchers say they haven’t found that these “rodeo” ants have any workers. Instead, they act as a parasite within well-established colonies.

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