Kretschmarr Cave Mold Beetle - Other Endangered Karst Invertebrates (Troglobites)

Other Endangered Karst Invertebrates (Troglobites)

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 Pleistocene epoch, 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 pray. 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.