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US Fish & Wildlife Service - Journal Entry KENAI: New Alaska Species Discovered on Refuge Region 7, August 3, 2005 A species never before reported in Alaska, an alpine bristletail, was discovered off the Skyline Trail in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge by Dominique Collet, a local naturalist and entomological expert. Bristletails are small invertebrates that slightly resemble tiny lobsters. Up until this time, only a coastal species of bristletail had been identified in Alaska, Petridiobius arcticus, found from the Aleutian Islands to the Alaska panhandle where they live in cracks of bedrock just above the high tide line and feed on lichens. Refuge staff have collected live specimens of the new discovery for display at the Refuge visitor center in Soldotna. Additionally, a set of specimens has been sent to Dr. Helmut Sturm, a world authority on bristletails, for positive identification. Contact Info: Maeve Taylor , (907) 786-3391, maeve_taylor@fws.gov