A new insect has been discovered inside Nerja’s famous complex of caves in Maro. The dark purplish-brown bug has been given the narixae porcellio, in reference to the term of Arab origin, Narixa, from which the name of Nerja is derived.

An article published in the journal of the Spanish Entomology Society describes the creature as having an average length of 13.5 millimetres and width of seven millimetres. Technically, it is a terrestrial isopod of the genus Porcellionidae and has been found in several of the cavities which make up the caves complex. It thus joins an exclusive list of species found nowhere else.

Meanwhile, a 4,000 square metre open-air auditorium is to be constructed on land near the entrance to the Caves. The new cultural space will mark the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the caverns in 1959.

The Scientific Research Institute has spent years advocating and demanding that all cultural activities connected to the site are developed outdoors. It says the advice is based on technical reports to ensure that the cave is preserved and not saturated. “Aggressive” activities could jeopardize the site’s conservation, it adds.