Судлаачид Кастеллоризо арлын Вигла уулын хонгилоос олсон шавжид ДНХ-ийн шинжилгээ хийж, түүнийг шинэ зүйл болохыг тогтоожээ.
Грекийн өмнөд эрэгт орших Кастеллоризо арал дээрх 25 метрийн гүн хиймэл хонгилыг судалж байсан эрдэмтдийн баг өмнө нь бүртгэгдээгүй цохны төрөл зүйлийг илрүүлжээ. Эрдэмтэд энэхүү шавжийг Ж.Р.Р.Толкиний “Бөгжний эзэн” зохиолын “Балрог” мангасын нэрээр “Dolichopoda balrogi” хэмээн нэрлэсэн байна. Кастеллоризо арал нь сээр нуруугүй амьтдын олон янз байдлаараа алдартай бөгөөд уг хонгил нь байгалийн агуй биш, хүний гараар бүтээгдсэн байгууламж болох нь судалгаагаар тодорхой болжээ.
“Journal of Orthoptera Research” сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн судалгааны дагуу “Dolichopoda balrogi” нь хүрэн өнгөтэй, урт муруй хөлтэй бөгөөд энэ нь харанхуй, чийгтэй орчинд босоо хана болон тааз дээр бэхлэгдэн явахад нь тусалдаг байна. Судлаач Константинос Калаентзис энэхүү олдвор нь шинжлэх ухааны нээлт заавал алслагдсан ширэнгэн ой эсвэл далайн гүнд байх албагүйг, харин бидний сайн мэдэх нутаг дэвсгэр, хүний гараар бүтсэн байгууламжид ч шинэ зүйл нуугдаж байдгийг сануулж байна хэмээн онцолжээ.
Энэхүү цох нь харанхуй, чийгтэй орчинд амьдрахаар зохицсон “Dolichopoda” төрөлд хамаарах бөгөөд одоогоор Грек улсад энэ төрлийн 51 зүйл бүртгэгдээд байна. Нэн өвөрмөц нөхцөлд амьдардаг тул тухайн амьтны популяци нь чийгшил, температурын өөрчлөлтөд маш эмзэг байдаг аж.
Судлаачид уг цохны тархац нь зөвхөн тухайн хонгилоор хязгаарлагддаг эсэхийг тогтоохын тулд нэмэлт хээрийн судалгаа хийх шаардлагатай гэж үзэж байна. Иймд арлын бусад агуйд нарийвчилсан судалгаа явуулж, тэднийг хамгаалах менежментийн стратеги боловсруулах нь зүйтэй хэмээн эрдэмтэд тэмдэглэжээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Deep inside a man-made tunnel on the Greek island of Kastellorizo, scientists stumbled upon a species no one had ever identified before. They named it Dolichopoda balrogi, a nod to the fiery Balrog of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Kastellorizo is a modest place, roughly six kilometers (3.7 miles) long and three kilometers (1.9 miles) wide, off the southeastern coast of Greece.
Biologists have long watched it closely because of its unusual diversity of invertebrates, and the island supports scorpions, isopods, bush-crickets and beetles, among other creatures. Hoping to learn more about that wildlife, a team of researchers turned to the island’s only terrestrial cave. It turned out not to be a natural cavern at all, and what they found inside came as a surprise.
A Surprise on the Walls of Mount Vigla
The cave in question is a 25-meter-deep (82-foot) artificial tunnel on the slopes of Mount Vigla. As the scientists moved inside, they noticed numerous crickets scattered across its walls. The insects seemed perfectly at home in the dark, damp surroundings.
To find out whether the specimens belonged to an already documented species, the team examined their physical characteristics in detail and carried out DNA analysis. The results confirmed that the insects were a previously unknown species.
Meet the Cricket Named After a Monster
D. balrogi has a brown body, unusually long, and curved legs. Those limbs let the insect grip vertical walls and overhanging surfaces securely, which helps it move through the confined spaces of its underground habitat. These details appear in a study published in the Journal of Orthoptera Research.
It belongs to Dolichopoda, a genus of cave-dwelling crickets specially adapted to dark, humid underground environments and found throughout southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. With this addition, the genus now counts 68 recognized species, 51 of which occur in Greece, which underlines how important the country is for these specialized underground insects.
The name is a little misleading. The fictional Balrog is associated with fire, darkness and destructive power, while the real animal is entirely harmless. What makes it remarkable is its ability to survive where sunlight never penetrates and where relatively few organisms are equipped to thrive.
What Comes Next for This Rare Cricket?
For the researchers, the find is a reminder that new species need not be sought only in distant rainforests or unexplored ocean depths.
“These findings remind us that biodiversity discoveries are not limited to remote tropical forests or deep oceans. Even familiar landscapes and human-made structures can harbour species that have remained unnoticed,” said Konstantinos Kalaentzis.
Cave-adapted animals, including many Dolichopoda crickets, often occupy extremely restricted geographical ranges, and some are known from just one cave or a single interconnected underground system. That dependence on highly specific conditions makes them especially vulnerable to disturbance. Changes in humidity, temperature or the physical structure of an underground habitat could potentially threaten populations that have nowhere else to survive.
The team therefore believes more fieldwork is needed to establish whether D. balrogi occurs elsewhere on Kastellorizo or is restricted to the tunnel where it was found. In their words, the authors wrote that “a more detailed and specialised survey of the island’s caves should be conducted,” adding that it would be valuable to consider possible management strategies to ensure the conservation of the population.
As reported by Futura, an ordinary-looking tunnel on a small Mediterranean island has become the home of a newly recognized species.
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