BY AMANCAI BIRABEN
Los Angeles, known for its bustling freeways and heavy traffic, has recently become the namesake of a newly discovered species: The Los Angeles Thread Millipede.
This tiny arthropod was unearthed by naturalists in a Southern California hiking area, located near a freeway, a Starbucks, and an Oakley sunglasses store.
About the size of a paperclip but as thin as a pencil lead, the millipede is translucent and moves in a sinuous manner, resembling the tentacle of a jellyfish. It digs four inches below the surface, secreting unique chemicals and navigating using horn-like antennas on its head. When observed under a microscope, this millipede, with its 486 legs and helmet-like head, looks like a creature straight out of a Hollywood monster film.
Entomologist Paul Marek of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, who participated in the research alongside scientists from West Virginia University and the University of California, Berkeley, expresses his awe at the discovery, stating, “It’s amazing to think these millipedes are crawling in the inner cracks and crevices between little pieces of rock below our feet in Los Angeles.”
The findings on this species, scientifically named Illacme socal, were published on June 21 in the journal ZooKeys. Its common name is the Los Angeles Thread Millipede.
Marek adds, “It goes to show that there’s this undiscovered planet underground.”
California is home to several other species of millipedes, including one that held the record for the most legs, boasting a staggering 750 limbs. This aptly named Illacme plenipes, which translates to “in highest fulfillment of feet” in Latin, was discovered in a small area of Northern California in 1926. However, its title as the leggiest creature on Earth was stripped in 2021 when a millipede with 1,306 legs was found in Australia.
Millipedes play a vital role in the ecosystem as they feed on dead organic material. Without them, we would be drowning in it, according to Marek. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and protecting these species that fulfill crucial ecological roles to preserve the environment that, in turn, safeguards us.
The discovery of the Los Angeles Thread Millipede was made possible with the help of iNaturalist, a citizen naturalist app. Naturalists Cedric Lee and James Bailey stumbled upon the creature while collecting slugs at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County four years ago. The team used DNA sequencing and analysis to confirm that it was indeed a new species.
Cedric Lee, a doctoral student at UC Berkeley, has been instrumental in discovering and documenting thirty centipede species in California. He highlights the significance of microorganisms in the search for new species and praises citizen science for bridging the gap between the natural world and the lab.
Lee asserts, “We don’t know what’s completely out there. There are literally undescribed species right under our feet.”
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Scientists estimate that Earth is home to 10 million animal species, but only one million have been identified so far.
Brian Brown, curator of entomology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, underscores the vastness of the unknown when it comes to insect species and small creatures worldwide. He asserts, “What we don’t know is far more than what we know.”
Through his four-year research project called BioSCAN, which involved placing insect traps in backyards across the city, Brown discovered an estimated 20,000 species of insects in Los Angeles alone, both known and unknown.
However, Brown expresses concerns about the threats faced by native species, including climate change and invasions by non-native species.
He states, “It will require extensive effort and work to document and save these species before they go extinct.”
Daniel Gluesenkamp, president of the California Institute for Biodiversity, who was not involved in the research, points to the Los Angeles Thread Millipede as a prime example of an unexplored frontier.
Gluesenkamp emphasizes the need to invest in local parks and preserve even small patches of wilderness, even if surrounded by urban developments. He believes that understanding and protecting these natural habitats will be crucial in solving the challenges that lie ahead.
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