New Insect Species Discovered in Surprising Locale

Never-before-seen insects have been discovered squirming around, not in dense, remote jungles, but in a French national park, researchers have announced.

The findings include one beetle, seven new aquatic invertebrates living under creek beds, and three springtails, which are soil-dwelling arthropods (a group that includes spiders and crustaceans), the environmental news website Mongabay has reported.

The 11 new insect species were discovered by a team of more than 250 scientists combing Mercantour National Park in southern France. These new discoveries are the partial results of the All Taxa Inventory Project to identify all life in Mercantour National Park and Maritime Alps National Park in Italy.

The project began with an initial investment of $196,000 (