''Megalothorax sanctistephani'' is a

springtail Springtails (class Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern Hexapoda, hexapods that are no longer considered insects. Although the three lineages are sometimes grouped together in a class called Entognatha because they have in ...

that is only known from the catacombs of the St. Stephen's Cathedral in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria.

Characteristics

They are only around 0.39 mm in size, blind and spherical in shape. They resemble the species ''

Megalothorax minimus ''Megalothorax minimus'' is a species of springtail in the family Neelidae Neelidae is a family of springtails in the order Neelipleona. There are at least 4 genera and more than 30 described species in Neelidae. Genera These four genera bel ...

'', which can be found world-wide. They can be differentiated by the oval structure that they feature between their antenna, rather than a bristle. Typical characteristics of cave dwellers (troglomorphic characteristics) are not present, such as elongated extremities; therefore it is assumed that the species is more adapted to narrow spaced subterranean biotopes, rather than caves. E. Christian: ''Apterygota'', in: Wolfgang Rabitsch, Franz Essl: ''Endemiten – Kostbarkeiten in Österreichs Pflanzen- und Tierwelt''. Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein für Kärnten und Umweltbundesamt GmbH, Klagenfurt und Wien 2009. ISBN 978-3-85328-049-2, p. 571f.

Distribution

The species is only known from the location of its initial description, the catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, which date back to the Baroque period. Its overall range likely includes the Pannonian lowlands and hill country of Austria. It lives in the system of crevices within the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

sediments of the Vienna city terrace. Specimens were found beneath the clay floor of the catacombs. The species' conservation status is unknown.

Etymology

The species is named after the patron of the type locality,

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

. His

iconographic Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

attribute - a handful of stones symbolizing his death by stoning - also alludes to the species' habitat, the gravel of the catacombs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1318141 Collembola Fauna of Austria Animals described in 1998 Arthropods of Europe