New fauna discovered in Iran’s caves
Iranian researchers discovered new species of arthropods in Danial and Moghan caves.
A new species named Plutomurus danialensis was found in one of Iran’s largest water caves, Danial Cave, in Mazandaran Province, while a microscopic insect was identified in the Moghan Cave, one of the oldest caves in Iran, in Khorasan.
Javad Nezamdoust, a member of the task force and one of the founders of the Iranian Cave and Speleology Association, told ILNA that the discovery and study were conducted by the cave explorers club of Mashhad. The project was led by Mahmoud Mehrafrouz in collaboration with professors from Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Slovakia and Ilia State University in Georgia.
“The new and unique species, Plutomurus danialensis, is a rare type of arthropod found only in Danial Cave,” Nezamdoust said. The discovery has been published in Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists.
On the new microscopic insect discovered in Moghan Cave, he said, “This insect is another species whose only habitat is in Moghan Cave, one of Iran’s oldest caves.”