The first ever millipede with more than 1,000 legs was found in Western Australia.
The first true millipede has 1,306 legs and was found up to 60 metres underground in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.
The new species of Eumillipes persephone was named after the Greek goddess of the Underworld.
The previous record was set by Illacme plenipes, which has up to 750 legs.
A team of researchers discovered a new creature.
The find was described as incredibly lucky by Dr Bruno Buzatto.
The animals were unique. As soon as I realized how long they were, I realized they had to be different.
The species has a long, thread-like body with short legs and a cone-shaped head. It is blind and pale, like other animals.
Dr Rodriguez said the new species had probably evolved its length for easier movement underground.
She said that the more length you have, the stronger you will be. She said that the more than 300 body segments of the millipede would give it greater force for movement in rocky areas.
Rodriguez said that the Portuguese millipede has around 25 segments in Australia, where it is seen in high numbers after heavy rain. A train collision in Perth was blamed on a Portuguese millipede.
The team found eight Eumillipes persephone in three drill holes at depths between 15 and 60 metres.
Rodriguez said that he was surprised to find the new species underground. She said that some millipedes live in caves, but many are surface dwellers and break down organic matter.
The new species is not known. It is a good bet that they eat fungi.
Eumillipes persephone has physical similarities to the previous leg record holder in California, but the two species are only distantly related.
Rodriguez said that there are more than 2,000 species of millipede in Australia.
The importance of taxonomists is important because of the large proportion of Australian biodiversity that is still un described. We are driving species extinct quicker than we describe them.
Rodriguez and her colleagues are studying chemicals produced in Australia. We are testing them to see if they have the ability to be antimicrobials against the pathogens that have a lot of resistance.
centipedes only have one leg, whereas limpedes have two, on most body segments.
The journal Scientific Reports published research into the new millipede.
The discovery of the Eumillipes persephone was made by a team of researchers while they were conducting an environmental impact assessment.
