The City of Angels, a bustling metropolis known for its freeways and traffic congestion, has recently unveiled a newly discovered Species named after it: The Los Angeles Thread Millipede.

Found just below the Earth’s surface by naturalists in a Southern California hiking area, near a freeway, a Starbucks, and an Oakley sunglasses store, this tiny arthropod is about the length of a paperclip and as slim as pencil lead. It exhibits a translucent and sinuous appearance, resembling a jellyfish tentacle. Despite being blind, it relies on hornlike antennas protruding from its head to navigate its surroundings.

Under a microscope, this millipede, with its 486 legs and helmet-like head, bears resemblance to a creature straight out of a Hollywood monster film.

“It’s truly astonishing to consider that these millipedes are crawling within the crevices beneath our feet in Los Angeles,” remarked entomologist Paul Marek from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Marek, along with scientists from West Virginia University and the University of California, Berkeley, was part of the research team that made this exciting discovery.

The team’s findings on this newly discovered species, scientifically named Illacme socal, were published in the journal ZooKeys on June 21. The species is commonly referred to as the Los Angeles Thread Millipede.

“This discovery proves that there is still an uncharted world beneath the surface of our planet,” added Marek.

It joins the ranks of other millipede species found in California, including one that previously held the record for the highest number of legs on any recorded creature—a staggering 750 limbs. Appropriately named Illacme plenipes, which is Latin for “in highest fulfillment of feet,” this species was discovered in 1926 in a small area of Northern California. However, its record was surpassed in 2021 when a millipede with 1,306 legs was found in Australia.

Millipedes play a vital role in the ecosystem by feeding on dead organic matter. Without them, we would be overwhelmed by decaying material, according to Marek.

“By understanding these species and their crucial ecological functions, we can protect them, as well as the environments that protect us,” Marek emphasized.

The discovery of the Los Angeles Thread Millipede was made possible through the iNaturalist app, which allows citizen naturalists to contribute to scientific research. Naturalists Cedric Lee and James Bailey stumbled upon the millipede while collecting slugs at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County four years ago. Using DNA sequencing and analysis, the research team confirmed that it was indeed a new species.

Lee, a doctoral student at UC Berkeley, has successfully discovered and documented thirty species of centipedes in California. He points out that microorganisms have often been overlooked in the search for new species, but modern tools and citizen science can bridge the gap between the natural world and the laboratory.

“We have barely scratched the surface of what’s out there,” Lee stated. “There are countless undescribed species right beneath our feet.”

Scientists estimate that there are 10 million animal species on Earth, but only one million have been identified so far.

“Our knowledge of insect species and small creatures around the world is still incredibly limited,” noted Brian Brown, curator of entomology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Brown, who led a four-year research project called BioSCAN, which involved placing insect traps throughout backyards in Los Angeles, believes that approximately 20,000 species of insects inhabit the city, both known and unknown.

However, Brown expresses concern about the threats to native species, such as climate change and invasive species.

“Efforts to save and document these species before they become extinct will require significant work and dedication,” he remarked.

Daniel Gluesenkamp, president of the California Institute for Biodiversity, comments on the Los Angeles Thread Millipede as a prime example of an unexplored frontier.

“We need to invest in local parks and conserve any patches of wilderness, regardless of their proximity to housing and parking lots,” Gluesenkamp urged. “We need to understand what exists there so that we can protect it and utilize it as a solution in the face of the immense challenges that lie ahead.”

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Correction note: This story has been updated to clarify that a millipede found in California with 750 limbs is one of the world’s leggiest, but not the leggiest.

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