Texamaurops reddelli
| Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Family: | Staphylinidae |
| Subfamily: | Pselaphinae |
| Genus: | Texamaurops |
| Species: | T. reddelli |
| Binomial name | |
|
Texamaurops reddelli |
|
The Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle (Texamaurops reddelli) is a small mold beetle that is in the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Arthropoda, the class Insecta, the order Coleopetera (beetles), the suborder Polyphaga, the family Pselaphide (mold beetle).
It is less than 1/8 inch long and their body color can range from a dark purple to a light reddish-brown color and is sparsely and weakly dotted with small pits. They have short wings and long legs. The beetle lives under rocks and logs, in sinkholes, rotting wood, termite nest, and caves, although it is now only known to still exist in four caves in the Edwards Plateau, Travis County, Texas. Not all caves in the region have been surveyed, so this may be an underestimate. It lives in total darkness so there is no use for eyes and uses elaborate appendages and beefed up nerve centers to interpret slight air-pressure or temperature changes, sounds, and smells. This sensory equipment helps the beetle travel, sense objects, and ambush prey. There is no distinct reproduction pattern for the beetle and may reproduce at any time of the year if conditions are steady in the cave. Little is known about daily life of the mold beetle because of their secretive habitats. When going to observe them they are rarely found and when they are found it is usually only one to two specimens. They are so secretive that finding an individual is a rare event. It is also very hard to distinguish Texamaurops reddelli from other beetles in the Pselaphide family. Only upon microscopic study can the beetle be distinguished by its ocular knobs on its head. This makes it hard to identify the beetles in the field as they can easily be mistaken for another beetle species in the same family.
There are several other karst invertebrates that are also endangered in Travis County and neighboring Williamson County. They include Texella reddelli (Bee Creek cave harvestman), Texella reyesi (Bone Cave harvestman), Tartarocreagris texana (Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion), Neoleptoneta myopica (Tooth Cave spider), Rhadine persephone (Tooth Cave ground beetle), Batrisodes texanus (Coffin Cave mold beetle). All of these karst invertebrates are considered troglobites, which are characterized by living their entire lives underground, have small or absent eyes, elongated appendages, and other adaptations to their subterranean environment. A widely accepted theory for the evolution of troglobites is that during a series of climatic changes in the , certain creatures wandered into the caves for a more stable environment and over time evolved into the invertebrates they are today. Troglobites prefer to inhabit the dark zone of the cave where the humidity and temperature are relatively constant. High temperatures nearly 100% humidity is required for most troglobites. There are some 7,700 species of troglobites, but this is probably only a small portion of the population because most of them have not been discovered. Even though they spend their entire life under ground in total darkness they depend very much on the world above. Rootlets from the trees above crawl down into the caves providing bug food. The bugs that feed on these rootlets are the troglobites prey. Moisture and heat from above and the natural springs within the caves provide the humidity that is needed to support their life. Because all of these invertebrates share similar habitats, they face many of the same threats as the Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle that has led to their endangerment.
...
Wikipedia