Deep beneath Western Australia, researchers found a millipede that set a new record for leg count. Named Eumillipes persephone, the pale, eyeless species lives in underground spaces between rocks, at depths of up to 60 metres.
One female specimen had 330 body segments and 1,306 legs. The males examined had fewer, with the highest count reaching 818. The animal is less than 10 centimetres long and under a millimetre wide, with a slender body and large antennae.
Built for life underground
The species' lack of eyes and reduced pigmentation are consistent with a life spent in darkness. Researchers suggest its many short legs may help it move through narrow underground cracks, where food is scarce and mobility matters. This explanation remains a hypothesis, rather than a benefit confirmed by direct experiments.
Genetic analysis indicates that E. persephone is not closely related to the California millipede that previously held the record, despite their similarly remarkable leg counts. Their shared traits may have evolved independently in response to comparable environments.
Described in the journal Scientific Reports, the discovery highlights how much remains unknown about life beneath the surface. Continued study of this hidden ecosystem may reveal new ways that species adapt to extreme habitats.
