So. Many. Legs.

David Steinmann, a zoology research associate with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) and accomplished cave explorer, and Dr. William Shear, a professor of biology emeritus at Hampden-Sydney College, have discovered four new species of exceedingly small millipedes.

Coloradesmus warneri, Image credit David Steinmann, Research Associate, Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

The team spent 20 years researching and searching, and in the process, found the new millipede species—all are albino, have no eyes, and have 17 pairs of legs, not the 1,000 legs the "millipede" name suggests. The new species were found deep underground in caves around the state.

Due to them all being found in Colorado, they are part of a new genus called Coloradesmus.

The new species have been named for the caves where they were found and for the people who found them, according to DMNS:

• Coloradesmus manitou was found in the Cave of the Winds in Manitou Springs. David Hubbard, from Virginia, helped discover this new species.
• Coloradesmus beckleyi was found in Glenwood Caverns and named after Steve Beckley, the owner of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. Beckley is a longtime cave protection advocate.
• Coloradesmus warneri was discovered in a cave outside Fort Collins and is named after Ed Warner, an environmentalist who is well known in Denver, and who found the species in 2009 in a small wet cave near Fort Collins. 
• Coloradesmus hopkinsae was discovered in five U.S. Forest Service caves and is named after Kay Hopkins with the U.S. Forest Service White River National Forest for her dedication to cave conservation and preservation.

"Finding a new species does not require traveling to exotic places, there is so much to be discovered right here in Colorado," Steinmann said. "There are many unique areas to explore in our wonderful state."

The originally discovered specimens are currently part of the Museum's collection, known as holotypes. Steinmann has discovered over 100 new species in his years of exploring the caves of Colorado, often accompanied by his wife and teenage son.

What do you think about these new species of millipede being named after the people and places of Colorado? Comment below.