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Scientists identified the ‘ManhattAnt’ — and they have theories on why it’s taking over NYC анальный секс первые

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 professor of entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University in Alabama.

While entomologists keep a close eye on the non-native species to monitor its impact on the environment, they have a few theories to explain how the ant made it to North America and why it is so successful in the big city, according to a study published May 28 in the journal Biological Invasions.

The start of an invasion
A 2009 ant survey did not catch sighting of the ManhattAnt, which suggests it had arrived in the city soon afterward. Though it has called the Big Apple its North American home for only a little over 10 years, the species has been busy, spreading at a rate of about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) a year.

So far, the insect has also been observed on Long Island and in several New Jersey cities, according to the study. Based on the European climates that the insect can thrive in, the authors suspect the ant may be able to head as far north as Maine and as far south as Georgia in the future.