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There are two ground beetles on Ohio's endangered species list:
the Ohio cave beetle, Pseudanophthalmus ohioensis and Kramer's
cave beetle, P. krameri. They were both described in 1973 by Carl Krekeler
based on specimens taken in separate cave systems in Adams County in the
late 1950s and early 1960s. Pseudanophthalmus
species are blind ground beetles (Carabidae) that are almost entirely confined to the darker
zones of limestone caves, where they prey on smaller arthropods (springtails, crickets,
millipedes, etc.). Their prey scavenge organic material that has been
washed into the caves. Because
the beetles only inhabit caves their dispersal is limited, especially when groundwater
levels are high, confining them to a single interconnected cave system.
Over thousands of years in isolation, separate populations evolved to full species status.
There are scores of Pseudanophthalmus species described from the limestone caves of Kentucky and Tennessee, but P. ohioensis and P. krameri are the only two known from north of the Ohio River. They were most likely cut off from the cave systems of Kentucky when the Teays River changed course during a glaciation event. You are unlikely to encounter Pseudanophthalmus spp. unless you are a spelunker, and even then you may not see any, for their abundance and location within a cave are highly variable. These two beetles are protected by law in Ohio. If you want to see live individuals, the visitor center at Mammoth Cave National Park, KY occasionally has them on display. The beetles are considered endangered in Ohio due to their restricted distribution. Anything that would threaten a cave's ecosystem could threaten its specific and unique fauna, including beetles. |