Banksula melones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Banksia melones
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Opiliones
Family:	Phalangodidae
Genus:	Banksula
Species:	B. melones
Binomial name
Banksula melones Briggs, 1974
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The Banksula melones is a tiny creature that lives in caves. It's a type of harvestman, which is an arachnid similar to a spider. This special harvestman is found only in caves along the Stanislaus River in California, United States.

This small harvestman is just over 2 mm long, which is about the size of a tiny ant. Its body is yellowish-orange, and its legs are white to yellowish-white. It lives only in caves.

You can sometimes find B. melones in the same caves as another harvestman called Banksula grahami. B. grahami is a bit smaller and doesn't have good eyes. Interestingly, B. melones has the best eyes of all the harvestmen in its group, except for B. incredula. B. incredula is the only one that doesn't live in caves. Sometimes, B. melones can be seen near the entrance of a cave.

When something bothers them, these harvestmen often stay perfectly still for several minutes. They can live for several years, which is quite a long time for a harvestman! They shed their skin (molt) only every few months. Studies have shown they can survive without food for up to 43 days. They eat very small arthropods, and they especially like springtails more than booklice.

Saving the Melones Cave Harvestman

In the late 1970s, the caves where Banksula melones lived were in danger. A big construction project, the New Melones Dam, was planned for the area. This dam would flood many of the caves.

To save them, B. melones, B. grahami, and about 30 other cave-dwelling animals were moved. They were taken from a cave called McLean's Cave and moved to an old, unused mine shaft. At first, the Banksula species did well in their new home and had many babies.

However, ten years later, in 1986, scientists couldn't find any B. grahami. But they counted more than 50 B. melones individuals. Ten years after that, in 1996, only six B. melones were left in the mine shaft. This was a worrying sign.

Luckily, since then, Banksula melones has been found living in several other caves nearby. This means the species is still around and living in its natural habitat.