NANNING -- A rare ant species has been discovered in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said Sunday.

Opamyrma hungvuong, an ancient ant species, was spotted for the first time in Guangxi by experts on an ant survey at a national reserve near Guangxi's tourist city of Guilin.

Staff with Huaping National Nature Reserve said that the ants live under some small bush-covered rocks in a primary forest with moderate humidity. About 30 ants were collected for research.

The discovery of Opamyrma hungvuong will provide new evidence for the evolution and distribution of ants, according to staff with the nature reserve.

Opamyrma hungvuong mainly feeds on tiny Arthropoda species. The ant only lives in well-preserved primary forests with little human activity, and is a good indicator of the environmental quality.

The Huaping National Nature Reserve was among the first nature reserves established in China.