Coffin Cave mold beetle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coffin Cave mold beetle |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Batrisodes
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| Species: |
texanus
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The Coffin Cave mold beetle (Batrisodes texanus) is a tiny insect that lives only in caves. It is also sometimes called the Inner Space Caverns mold beetle. These beetles are very small, about 2.60–2.88 mm (0.102–0.113 in) long, which is less than a tenth of an inch! They don't have eyes and can only be found in caves in Williamson County, Texas. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service says this beetle is an endangered species. This means it is at risk of disappearing forever. One big threat to them is the growth of cities, called urbanization.
Contents
Discovering the Coffin Cave Mold Beetle
How it Got its Name
The Coffin Cave mold beetle was first described as a new species in 1992. A scientist named Donald S. Chandler gave it its official scientific name, Batrisodes texanus. This name helps scientists around the world know exactly which creature they are talking about.
The second part of its name, "texanus", was chosen because the beetle is only found in the state of Texas. The first part, Batrisodes, is the name of its group of related beetles.
A Mix-Up in the Caves
In 2001, scientists realized there was another very similar beetle. They named this new beetle the Dragonfly Cave mold beetle (Batrisodes cryptotexanus). It turned out that the beetle living in Coffin Cave was actually B. cryptotexanus, not B. texanus.
Because of this, some people started calling B. texanus the Inner Space Caverns mold beetle instead. However, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service still uses the name Coffin Cave mold beetle for B. texanus.
What Does it Look Like?
The Coffin Cave mold beetle is very small, measuring about 2.60–2.88 mm (0.102–0.113 in) long. That's about the size of a tiny ant!
Special Features
These beetles have some interesting features:
- No Eyes: They live in complete darkness, so they don't have any eyes. They use other senses to find their way around.
- Antennae: Males and females look a little different. Male beetles have a small groove on their heads, right before their antennae.
- Body Shape: The part of their body behind their head, called the pronotum, has a long groove down the middle. Their wing covers, called elytra, have three small pits at their bases.
Where Does it Live?
The Coffin Cave mold beetle lives only in caves in Williamson County, Texas. It is a "cave-obligate" species, which means it must live in caves to survive.
Ideal Home Conditions
These beetles need dark and humid places to live. They cannot survive outside of these specific cave environments.
Known Cave Homes
The northernmost place where these beetles are found is Cobbs Cavern, which is about 8 km (5.0 mi) southeast of Florence, Texas. Their southernmost home is the Inner Space Caverns.
If the Dragonfly Cave mold beetle is considered a separate species, then the Coffin Cave mold beetle lives in these caves:
- Godwin Ranch Preserve
- Cobbs Cavern
- Sunless City Cave
- Waterfall Canyon Cave
- On Campus Cave
- Off Campus Cave
- Inner Space Cavern
Protecting the Coffin Cave Mold Beetle
The Coffin Cave mold beetle is considered an endangered species. This means it needs special protection to keep it from disappearing.
Endangered Status
Even though this beetle was officially described in 1992, it has been protected under the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973 since 1988. This law helps protect animals and plants that are at risk.
Main Threats
The biggest threat to the Coffin Cave mold beetle is habitat loss. This happens because of urbanization, which is when more and more people move to an area and build homes and businesses.
Williamson County, where these beetles live, has grown very quickly. The number of homes there increased by a lot between 1970 and 2016. This growth means less natural habitat for the beetles and their cave homes.
