Hello ,

A few weeks ago, I found a tiny, epic, and somewhat out of place little ant! Not just a little out of place, the nearest distribution record for this species is over 500 kilometres from where I found this tiny ant.

The tiny ant that I’m talking about is Strumigenys ludovici (See the photos below), and I found it in the mist belt forest around Tzaneen, in George’s Valley. The nearest collection record for this species as according to Antweb, is in St Lucia in Kwa-Zulu Natal! To the north the closest record for this species is over 600 kilometres away in Zimbabwe, in the Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve. A species distribution is how it is spatially arranged (simply put, it is where you can find the species). This means that the ants geographical limits have changed and expanded.

The question that arises though, is it naturally occurring in the area or has it been introduced to the area and become established. Based on the very specific requirements for this ant to survive, I am confident to say that it has always been in the area, but has never been found by scientists or someone that had it identified and recorded. This makes that this tiny ant has had a significant known range expansion due to the new locality being discovered.

This is one of the best examples of the current incomplete distribution records that scientists have to work with. The incomplete distribution records are due to geographical sampling gaps and these gaps, lead to inaccuracy in species distribution maps. These maps aren’t only used only to show where species occur but are also used to determine the potential species richness, abundance, and biodiversity of a certain location. Having accurate species distributions along with species traits allows us to understand current distribution patterns and allows us to predict a species wider occurrence. In knowing the possible species occurrence, it allows us to make better informed decisions on future landscape changes and what the best use of it would be.

Some may argue that the climate in George’s Valley and Richards Bay is very similar to one another, and even though this is true, the two cannot be compared to one another due to one single factor. Elevation along with aspect and slope is the greatest influencing factors that determine microclimates within a region. Richards Bay has an elevation of ±75m, while George’s valley ranges from 750m-1000m above sea level. The ant I found was found at an elevational height of 950m. This elevational difference causes a change in air pressure and mean annual temperature, which for a 1.2mm ant is significant. 

Thus, many times we find something that is out of place, at an unrecorded location it is important to take note of it, because it could either be a new distributional record, a range expansion that the species has had, or a biological invasion.

Projects like the BirdAtlas and FrogAtlas have produced excellent clear data on where species occur, but even so, these are both still incomplete and require a lot more observational data to be completed.

Have you ever thought about the fact that we don’t even know exactly where all commonly seen species in South Africa has accurate and detailed distribution maps with clear evidence behind them?

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].

Weekly Top Shot: Tiny and out of place!

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8