The first 'true' millipede has been discovered, breaking records

A new species of millipede, Eumillipes persephone, was discovered in the Eastern Goldfields in Western Australia, and a new study has been published in Scientific Reports about it.

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The millipede was found sixty meters underground by Paul Marek and colleagues, sporting a total of 1,306 legs. The name of the newly discovered species, Eumillipes persephone, derives from the Greek word eu- (true), the Latin words mille (thousand) and pes (foot), while 'Persephone' references the Greek goddess of the underworld.

Four E. persephone millipedes were found, each with bodies up to 0.95mm wide, 95.7mm long, and consisting of up to 330 segments. The previous record-holder for the animal with the most legs is likely a distant relative, named Illacme plenipes. This millipede had been found with up to 750 legs.

"These underground habitats, and their inhabitants, are critically understudied, despite their ecological importance in filtration of groundwater and screening of environmental toxins," said the authors of the study.

You can read more from the new study here.