A new ant species has been discovered in Morocco and officially named Temnothorax lailae. The species, found exclusively north of Tanalt in the Chtouka Aït Baha area, was identified by Moroccan researcher Ahmed Taheri of Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, in collaboration with an international team. The study was published in the journal Insect Systematics and Diversity. The team examined 527 ant specimens from 170 sites across the Mediterranean basin, enabling a full taxonomic revision of the Temnothorax rottenbergii group. T. lailae is characterized by its dark coloration, small size, and distinctly sculptured gastral surface, features detectable only through microscopic and morphometric analysis. It is adapted to cold, high-altitude environments in the Anti-Atlas and is currently known only from its type locality. Taheri noted that Morocco now ranks as the second most important hotspot for ant diversity in the Mediterranean, after Turkey, and could become the first with stronger scientific investment. The new species brings the number of Temnothorax rottenbergii ants recorded in Morocco to seven, the highest in North Africa.
