Megalothorax sanctistephani

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Megalothorax sanctistephani
Systematics
Class : Sackkiefler (Entognatha)
Order : Springtails (Collembola)
Subordination : Neelipleona
Family : Neelidae
Genre : Megalothorax
Type : Megalothorax sanctistephani
Scientific name
Megalothorax sanctistephani
Christian , 1998

Megalothorax sanctistephani is a springtail that is only known from the catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna .

features

The animals are only around 0.39 mm tall, blind and rather spherical. They resemble the cosmopolitan species Megalothorax minimus . In contrast to this, they have an oval structure between the antennae instead of a bristle. Typical features of cave dwellers (troglomorphic features) are missing, such as extensions of extremities; therefore it is assumed that the species is more adapted to narrow subterranean biotopes than to caves.

Distribution and habitat

The species is only known from the place where it was first described, the new baroque catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. The entire area should include the Pannonian flat and hilly regions of Austria. It lives in the system of gaps in the sediments of the Viennese city terrace, which originate from the Pleistocene . The finds were made under the clay floor of the catacombs. The degree of endangerment of the species is not known.

etymology

The species is named after the patron saint of the type locality , St. Stephen . Its iconographic attribute, a handful of stones that represent his death by stoning, is also a reference to the species' habitat, the gravel of the catacombs.

supporting documents

  • E. Christian: Apterygota , in: Wolfgang Rabitsch, Franz Essl: Endemites - treasures in Austria's flora and fauna . Natural Science Association for Carinthia and the Federal Environment Agency, Klagenfurt and Vienna 2009. ISBN 978-3-85328-049-2 , here p. 571f.
  • E. Christian: Megalothorax sanctistephani sp.n. (Insecta: Collembola: Neelidae) from the catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna . Annals of the Natural History Museum Vienna 100 B, 1998, pp. 15–18 (pdf 797kB)