A rare ostracod – a tiny crustacean around 1mm in size – has been discovered during a research trip in the Highlands.
High Life Highland Ranger for North West Sutherland Donald Mitchell and Countryside Ranger Manager Imogen Furlong assisted two researchers looking for a rare subterranean aquatic creature last year.
The survey results of that trip by Lee Knight and Dominika Wroblewska, have now been published in the Cave and Karst Science Journal. In total, 32 caves across Scotland were sampled, with many sites across Highland in Assynt, Wester Ross and Skye including the dramatic Smoo cave in Durness.
High Life Highland Ranger Donald Mitchell said: “It was fascinating to assist in the sampling process at Smoo cave, and to read about the Lee’s findings, the number of species is truly remarkable. They found 130 individual species within the sampled cave systems; among these were dragon fly nymphs and caddis flys, water crickets and pea mussels.
“Styglobitic creatures live entirely below the earth’s surface and preliminary findings show that one particular ostracod could be the first recorded in Scotland.”
People can see how sampling for these 1mm long and rare creatures occurs by visiting the High Life Highland YouTube Channel where Donald Mitchell talks to Lee Knight about his scientific sampling processes.
Dr Lee Knight added: “The specimens have been tentatively identified as Fabaeformiscandona latens from Allt nan Uamh Stream Cave and Smoo Cave, these are of importance because records of this genus are very rare in Britain.”
