New Daddy Long-Legs Species Discovered in Alaska

A previously unknown daddy long-legs species has been discovered at Alaska’s Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, a scarab beetle and an alpine bristletail—a small invertebrate, have been found in Alaska for the first time.

“In Alaska,” according to Kenai Supervisory Biologist John Morton, “we always start with the big charismatic animals and have to work our way down the chain. Nobody has been looking at insects.”  The discoveries are an important part of the refuge’s Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program, in which samples are taken periodically following a grid that covers the entire refuge.

When biological technician Matthew Bowser brought a colony of bristletails home for further observation, he also brought some other unexpected arthropods, including a daddy long-legs. The foremost expert on daddy long-legs, James Cokendolpher of Texas Tech, has confirmed that the daddy long-legs found at Kenai Refuge is indeed new to science. Bowser and Dr. Cokendolpher will co-author a description of the new species in a professional journal.

The three new species were discovered on the Skyline Trail in the Kenai Mountains, an alpine tundra area where it is unusual for daddy long-legs to be found.

For more information, contact John Morton, supervisory biologist, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, john_m_morton @fws.gov; (907) 262-7021.