It’s a unique creature and it was found underground in Western Australia. The specimen truly lives up to its name with its more than 1,000 legs.
A record-breaking millipede has been discovered in Western Australia. Living up to its name, the specimen really does have 1,000 legs. In fact, the unique creature found underground boasts up to 1,306 “feet,” more than any other animal. The worm has been given the name Eumillipes persephone, and researchers have published the observed details in Scientific Reports. The species would also be at risk due to mining activity that erodes the underground environment in which the millipede lives. “This unknown species lives in a realm that was thought to be devoid of life,” explained Paul Marek, co-author of the study and an entomologist at Virginia Tech.
The record-breaking centipede ecosystem
Researchers believe that studying the organisms that live in this ecosystem could lead to solutions to help conserve our planet’s biodiversity while also preserving the environment. Although the term millipede literally means “a thousand feet,” most species actually have fewer than 100 legs. Arthropods have been around for more than 400 million years, with some extinct members reaching 2 meters in length. Millipedes play an important role in their ecosystem because they feed on decaying organic matter.
The new species comes from an area filled with mines for extracting gold, nickel and other minerals. The holes dug for mining also offered scientists a portal to analyze a hitherto unexplored environment. The research team lowered cups of decaying leaves underground to attract invertebrates. In August 2020, at a depth of 60 meters, the researchers spotted the pale, threadlike specimen. Suspecting that the creature might have more legs than any known species, the team contacted Marek, who specializes in these animals.
The New Centipede Species
The entomologist realized he was looking at “a true centipede” that has as many as 1,306 legs sprouting from 330 ring segments in a female specimen, and up to 818 legs and 208 rings in a male. DNA samples were taken from the examined animal, which were then compared to the genome of other species. This confirmed that E. persephone is only a distant relative of the 750-legged Illacme plenipes, which is found in California. The results indicate that the centipedes’ super-elongated bodies have evolved independently over time.
The high number of legs and the stretchable, compressible body make the newly discovered species extremely agile at burrowing underground. E. persephone is named after the Greek mythological goddess Persephone, who was taken to the underworld by Hades. Other special features of the world’s longest millipede include a lack of pigmentation in its cream coloring and the absence of eyes. Researchers described the animal as having a cone-shaped head with “huge” antennae and a beak for feeding. Females can grow up to 0.95 millimeters wide and 95.7 millimeters long.
As for fauna discoveries, a rare toothed frog and a new species of Oligocene penguin have recently been identified.
Stefania Bernardini