The "bead curtain" of the curtain worm
After visiting the cave on August 21, Zhao Li, director of the Huaxi Insect Museum, set off again on October 10 to meishan for a cave expedition. After 7 hours of walking about 700 or 800 meters, "many places are crawling", after a body of mud came out, Zhao Li sighed: This hole will not fall a second time.
Inside the underground cave, from time to time can encounter the dark river, waterfall, the cave detectives found a kind of Malu - never seen outside the cave before; deeper, the light illuminated past found a "bead curtain", like the "Avatar" movie glowing branches, Zhao Li introduced, this is the first time the curtain worm was found in Sichuan, but also the first time in China to shoot its video.
Slender horse land like pole "hell centipede"
The initial judgment is a new species
"There are about three floors inside, and if you walk for a while, you have to go down vertically." On the afternoon of the 11th, Zhao Li, who had just returned to Chengdu from Meishan, introduced himself to reporters. The edge rope went down for more than ten meters, and then continued to walk for about two or three hundred meters, "the vertical distance was about thirty or forty meters, at which time the pure cave creature appeared." ”
Unlike the Malu that he occasionally encountered in the Longmen Mountain Cave Expedition, Zhao Li found a large number of Malu in the cave, "There are 3 species, but only 2 species of specimens have been collected." One species is very similar to what was found last time, and the other species has never been seen outside this cave—outside and inside other caves visited." He showed reporters this kind of horse land, very slender, "the light shines through, like a white mobile phone data cable." Zhao Li recalled the situation when he first saw it. In his impression, this malu shape was very similar to the "hell centipede" found in the deepest cave in Croatia.
"Estimated to be a new species, further research is needed." Zhao Li said with some excitement.
The "bead curtain" of the curtain worm appears
It was first discovered in Sichuan
From the position where Ma Lu was found, he continued to walk forward for about two or three hundred meters, and the 7 people who entered the cave encountered a dark river. On the cave wall above the dark river, the light illuminates a "beaded curtain", and some small insects are stuck to the "curtain". "Hanging crystal clearly in the hole, it is like the branches of the glowing tree in the movie Avatar." After careful observation, Zhao Li realized that this was the silk thread secreted by the larvae of the curtain worm.
"This is the first time it has been found in Sichuan, and it has only been publicly reported in Guangxi before." Zhao Li told reporters that the only thing found in Guangxi was a picture, and this time he also took a video, "it is the first time in China." "For the small insects on the curtain," the academic community did speculate before: the silk thread of the curtain insect is sticky insect, and this time it is a photograph. ”
After returning home, Zhao Li found that the insects he had seen in the cave before that thought they were mosquitoes should be the adult worms of the curtain worms. He also compared the curtain bead curtain with the curtain bead curtain in the New Zealand glowworm cave, "Compared with Guangxi, the length of the curtain bead curtain found this time, the density of the beads and the size are more similar to those in New Zealand." ”
Zhao Li:
This hole will not go down a second time
According to the introduction of the surrounding villagers, Zhao Li and the remaining 6 people of his companions chose a hole of moderate difficulty. However, when he first went down, he felt that the trip was not easy. "The villagers found a ladder of more than ten meters, and they couldn't put it down to the end." In the end they chose to go down the rope. After entering the cave, "the hole is very narrow, and a lot of times it is crawling." After crawling for a distance, he had to climb the rope again, "all vertical, like on a cliff." ”
After entering the cave at 1 p.m. that day, they did not opt out until after 8 p.m. due to insufficient power supply. "Returning is more of a headache than going down the hole." In the process of climbing the rope upwards, Zhao Li said that he also had many abrasions on his body. "Nine deaths in a lifetime", "wretched", after saying these two words, Zhao Li said bluntly: This hole will not go down for the second time.
Chengdu Business Daily reporter Peng Liang
According to Zhao Li, curator of the Huaxi Insect Museum
(Editor-in-charge: Zhang Huawei, Gao Hongxia)