Another new species for the Algarve
- Written by Bruno Filipe Pires, Algarve 123
The largest subterranean insect in Europe has been found in four caves in the Algarve. Biologist Sofia Reboleira, 31, attached to Aveiro University made the discovery. Reboleiro is already “famous” in etymological circles for similar discoveries elsewhere in the country.
In this case, the adjective “largest” refers to a body of three centimetres long, to which are added antennae and sensory filaments leading from the abdomen (which help guide the creature through the darkness).
This takes the total length of the insect to a whopping 10 centimetres. Officially recorded as Squamatinia algharbica, the insect is a completely new species for science – living only in caves in the Algarve and unable to survive anywhere else.
Written by Bruno Filipe Pires of Algarve 123
