Maltese palpigrade
The Maltese palpigrade (Eukoenenia christiani, known as Il-Palpigrad ta' Malta in Maltese), endemic to the Maltese Islands, comes from the order Palpigradi, a rather primitive order of arachnids. There are 80 species of palpigrade worldwide (see the article Palpigradi). They are small and eyeless with a long tail-like structure.[2]
| Eukoenenia christiani | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
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| Genus: | Eukoenenia |
| Species: | E. christiani |
| Binomial name | |
| Eukoenenia christiani Condé, 1988 [1] | |
Discovery
The Maltese palpigrade was first discovered in 1988 when a specimen was found in a cave in the Girgenti Valley (Malta).[2] Since then, no news of another specimen has been heard of making the Maltese palpigrade a very rare species.[2]
General features
The Maltese palpigrade is 1.2 millimetres (0.047 in) long, and is depicted as having a light brown colouring.[2]
See also
References
- Mark S. Harvey (2003). "Order Palpigradi Thorell". Catalogue of the smaller arachnid orders of the world: Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 151–174. ISBN 978-0-643-06805-6.
- Wildlife of the Maltese Islands, BirdLife Malta and Nature Trust, 1995
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