A troglodyte insect species recently discovered in British Columbia may well date back to the last ice age, according to scientists.
Called “Haplocampa wagnelli”, the arthropod found in a cave near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island is approximately three to four millimeters long.
He has six legs and has no eyes.
A study published Tuesday by the journal Subterranean Biology indicates that it could be one of the most northern species living in caves.
Lead author Alberto Sendra claims that the insect may have adapted to survival under the pack ice to avoid the freezing cold during the glaciation, or that it could have migrated northward since then. United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSx-g6hOURc
He says that the small insect is an example of adaptation and that its existence opens possibilities for the survival of species in different climates and conditions.
The scientists point out that this new species “is quite interesting because of its troglomorphic characteristics”, such as an antenna with 32 antenomers, or olfactory chemoreceptors with a multi-perforated and spirally wound structure.
The name of the insect pays tribute to a cellarist and co-author of the article, Craig Wagnell, who has spent years exploring the caves of Vancouver Island.
